House officers at public hospitals go 100 days without pay

New direct-payment policy leaves 3,800 doctors awaiting three months' salaries and stipends

KARACHI:

Thousands of house officers working at government-run hospitals across Sindh have been without salaries and stipends for more than 100 days following the introduction of a new payment mechanism, causing severe financial difficulties for junior doctors.

The delay began after the provincial government changed the procedure for paying house officers in May, replacing the previous system under which hospitals received funds and distributed salaries through bank cheques with direct transfers into doctors' bank accounts.

Officials said the new system required additional documentation and data collection, resulting in delays in processing payments.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity, a finance officer at a public hospital said all house officers had been asked to complete the required forms on the instructions of the Accountant General Sindh (AG). Copies of their CNICs and previous cheques were also collected, while the required data was subsequently submitted to the AG.

"Despite completion of the required process, payments have yet to be released," the officer said.

According to the official, dozens of house officers approach hospital administrations every day to complain about the non-payment of their salaries. He said house officers often worked shifts lasting up to 36 hours but had not received their stipends for three months.

The finance officer said the hospital administration had completed its part of the process and no longer had a role in the direct-payment mechanism. However, the administration had repeatedly contacted the AG and requested the release of the outstanding dues.

Around 280 house officers are working at Karachi's Civil Hospital, while more than 700 house officers and over 450 postgraduate trainee doctors are serving at Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC). The total number of house officers working at government hospitals across the province is estimated at more than 3,800. Dr Shahid Awan, president of the Young Doctors Association (YDA) at JPMC, demanded immediate payment of three months' outstanding stipends to house officers and postgraduate doctors.

He warned that if the dues were not cleared within the next few days, doctors would launch protests at the hospital and could subsequently move towards a complete boycott of outpatient departments (OPDs).