Charter Of Responsibility: Doctors to serve in remote areas, refrain from strikes
A new Health Management Cadre will be created in the Health Department for hospital administration under the service structure agreement between the government and doctors.
The key features of the new service structure include the reservation of 25 per cent of senior registrar seats for medical officers promoted from grade 17 to grade 18. Similarly, 50 per cent of consultant (grade 18) seats will be filled through promotions and the rest though recruitment via the Punjab Public Services Commission. A new four-tier formula for General Cadre Doctors has been approved under which 42 per cent of general seats will be in grade 17, 36 per cent in grade 18, 19 per cent in grade 19 and 3 per cent in grade 20.
The agreement also provides for 1,400 new posts in grade 18, 1,100 in grade 19 and 300 in grade 20 for General Cadre doctors, and 1,900 new senior registrar posts in the Teaching Cadre.
The number of paid house officers will be equal to the number of graduates from medical schools. Dentists will also get the same service structure as doctors. The Promotion Board for reviewing promotion cases will meet six times a year.
Under the agreement, medical officers with FCPS qualifications will get an allowance of Rs5,000 per month. All doctors will be given the Health Professional Allowance of Rs1,200. A Health Services Academy will be set up and staffed by recruitment through the PPSC.
The agreement also specifies that “famous and seasoned consultants” will be hired to reform the Specialist Cadre and Teaching Cadre. Senator Ishaq Dar said all these steps would cost the Punjab over Rs1 billion per year.
Charter of Responsibility
On their part, the doctors have agreed to comply with a Charter of Responsibility, which states that they will not take part in any activity that interrupts or stops the provision of healthcare to patients.
The charter states that if there are differences between the doctors and the Health Department, a high-level committee will be formed to resolve them.
All new doctors will have to serve for two years in remote and rural areas. Doctors with post graduate qualifications will be deputed at district and tehsil headquarters hospitals under a transfer policy. The charter also states that all doctors’ associations will ensure the implementation of laws governing private practice.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 8th, 2012.
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so it costed only i billionn for all that stuff? thats what punjab govt let suffered the whole nation in strikes and the most educated people to turn on to roads for ther rights? isn't too little comparing to the fake projects worth of hundreds of billion in the province? so much darama from these stupid politicians
Punjab Government should also work on collecting the doctors data and locating the clinics compiling and comparing it with the doctors who are in government service. Take legal action for those who violate the rule. When doctors compare private practicing professionals and the government service they feel a lot of difference. Everywhere in the world these are two different tracks.