Keeping up with the tradition of last year and for the upteenth time now, doctors at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) observed a strike on Tuesday forcing the patients who had come from far flung areas to return disappointed. The doctors from Pims were protesting against their new service structure, announced by President Asif Ali Zardari last year, that has hailed by their colleagues elsewhere.
The strike was called by the Joint Action Committee of Regular Employees of Federal Government Hospitals against the government’s plan to provide legal cover to the Career Structure for Health Personnel (CSHP) Ordinance 2011. The act allows doctors and paramedic staff under the federal government domain to replace their current Basic Pay Scale System (BPS-1 to 22) with the Special Health Personnel Pay Scale (HPS-1 to 13).
In a meeting with the Capital Administration and Development Division (CADD) Secretary Imtiaz Inayat Elahi, the joint action committee demanded their salaries to be paid under the old BPS structure and not under the new HPS structure. The committee asked for the provision of health risk allowance in the way it was being given to the judiciary and police officials and other civil servants. They also asked for promotions to be given under the time-scale formula being followed for government teachers. They also demanded Secretary Health Nargis Sehti to be removed from her post as she had “destroyed the federal health system”.
The CAAD secretary asked the committee to call off the strike for a week so that he can discuss their demands with the prime minister. However, spokesperson of the committee, Syed Manzar Naqvi, maintained that the strike will continue till their demands are fulfilled.
Doctors compound patients miseries
They are already unwell, the CNG and petrol are unavaible and now the doctors have swung into action, were the words of taxi driver who was taking a dejected patient back home. Due to the ongoing strike by transporters and CNG stations against the shortage and price hike of gas, many patients had to bear heavy travelling costs in coming to the Pims hospital, only to be told to go back.
Nasreen Begum, who brought her daughter from a village near Chattar for antenatal check-up to Pims, said, “At one side government has made our life difficult and on the other side these doctors have made it even tougher.”
Another patient from Tarnol, Imtiaz said, “Why are they always on strike and why do they target the poor patients. These strikes are too frequent for anyone’s comfort.”
Others hail the structure
Meanwhile, the Polyclinic Hospital Young Doctors Association (YDA) and All Pakistan Paramedical Staff Federation (APPSF) announced full support for regularisation of the HPS structure, terming it a privilege for all health professionals.
Head of Polyclinic YDA, Mohammad Ajmal, said the CSHP ordinance has up-scaled services of regular doctors and dentists and provided enhanced stipend to trainee doctors besides various allowances, time-scale promotions and career ladder for general duty doctors, while protecting their financial and seniority benefits.
Ajmal said that all doctors and paramedic staff were given the option to choose either the old BPS structure or the new HPS structure and majority of the health professionals opted for the HPS structure “on their free will”. He added that YDA will resist protests by any cadre in federal hospitals against implementation of the ordinance.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 4th, 2012.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ