Pims’ Liver transplant centre: Verbally sacked staff call foul play
Say their posts have been abolished illegally, demand payment of due salaries.
ISLAMABAD:
The Liver Transplant Centre of Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) might be satisfying the patients but the doctors and staff who have been serving there are not quite content.
The 25 staff members of the centre — including three doctors, seven ward boys, four naib qasid (section officers), and 10 sanitary workers — who still possess valid contracts have been “verbally sacked” by the hospital administration. The staff claim they have not been paid salaries for the past six months, and have not been issued one-month prior to termination notices as per the agreements of their contracts.
Accusing the Pims administration of nepotism, they demanded fresh appointments and payment of their due salaries.
According to a notification of the Capital Administration & Development Division, the seats of three house officers — Dr Saifur Rehman, Dr Rabia Baloch and Dr Sanaullah Khan — who are serving at Pims’ Liver Transplant Centre since May 24, 2011, were abolished on February 3, while the remaining staff members were removed from service.
The three doctors claim that as per rules of their contract, they were to be promoted from house officers to medical officers, maintaining their current Basic Pay Scale 17 (BPS-17). During interviews for the post of medical officers in February, the administration reassured us that we will be promoted as medical officers but instead our seats have been abolished, Dr Saifur Rehman told The Express Tribune.
“The move [to abolish our seats] is illegal, since the seats are not empty and we were granted a one-year renewable contract upon induction,” he said. He added that there are currently six posts of medical officers vacant in the centre, for which “the administration wants to hire its blue-eyed doctors”.
Dr Rehman added that the “verbal notice” has left the doctors confused over their current status in the hospital and their pending salaries.
Some of the staff members of the liver transplant centre, that was inaugrated in June last year, said they applied for the respective posts after they were advertised in various leading newspapers in March 2011. We were selected on merit after rigorous interviews in November last year, said an official.
When inquired, the coordinator of the liver transplant centre, Prof Nadeem Ahmed, expressed ignorance about the issue.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 30th, 2012.
The Liver Transplant Centre of Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) might be satisfying the patients but the doctors and staff who have been serving there are not quite content.
The 25 staff members of the centre — including three doctors, seven ward boys, four naib qasid (section officers), and 10 sanitary workers — who still possess valid contracts have been “verbally sacked” by the hospital administration. The staff claim they have not been paid salaries for the past six months, and have not been issued one-month prior to termination notices as per the agreements of their contracts.
Accusing the Pims administration of nepotism, they demanded fresh appointments and payment of their due salaries.
According to a notification of the Capital Administration & Development Division, the seats of three house officers — Dr Saifur Rehman, Dr Rabia Baloch and Dr Sanaullah Khan — who are serving at Pims’ Liver Transplant Centre since May 24, 2011, were abolished on February 3, while the remaining staff members were removed from service.
The three doctors claim that as per rules of their contract, they were to be promoted from house officers to medical officers, maintaining their current Basic Pay Scale 17 (BPS-17). During interviews for the post of medical officers in February, the administration reassured us that we will be promoted as medical officers but instead our seats have been abolished, Dr Saifur Rehman told The Express Tribune.
“The move [to abolish our seats] is illegal, since the seats are not empty and we were granted a one-year renewable contract upon induction,” he said. He added that there are currently six posts of medical officers vacant in the centre, for which “the administration wants to hire its blue-eyed doctors”.
Dr Rehman added that the “verbal notice” has left the doctors confused over their current status in the hospital and their pending salaries.
Some of the staff members of the liver transplant centre, that was inaugrated in June last year, said they applied for the respective posts after they were advertised in various leading newspapers in March 2011. We were selected on merit after rigorous interviews in November last year, said an official.
When inquired, the coordinator of the liver transplant centre, Prof Nadeem Ahmed, expressed ignorance about the issue.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 30th, 2012.