The General Cadre Doctors Association (GCDA) has pointed out that their doctors, despite being the backbone of health delivery system, have long being ignored and many of them are sill working in grade 18 after giving services of 18 to 25 years to the Health Department and the general public. GCDA President Dr Masood Akhtar Sheikh said this during a meeting on the issue of time scale promotion for general cadre doctors here in Lahore, according to a press release on Sunday. Dr Arif, Dr Riaz, Dr Rubina, Dr Rafique, Dr Asad and others were also present.
Sheikh, who is also the chairman of Pakistan Medical Society (PMS), said that general cadre doctors were the true healthcare providers, as the system from BHU, RHC, Tehsil and district head quarters hospitals and city district government dispensaries hinged on them. Even the tertiary care hospitals had been revolving around this category of doctors, he said. He said the civil and army officers along with the judiciary and now the lecturers got their due promotion from grade 17-20 in a time scale fashion, and most of these officers were serving in scale 20 after 18-20 years of services while this was unfortunate that the general cadre doctors were still in grade 18 after a long service of 15-20 years. He said that time scale promotion should immediately be implemented and there should be no delay while giving the doctors their legal right.
Sheikh said that MBBS was not a simple qualification and was a mode of life. He further added that the doctors even after getting a diploma in their respective specialty were still facing problems in departmental promotion. He said that time scale promotion and that too on a par with civil, military and judiciary was the only solution to the miseries of general cadre doctors.
Sheikh demanded that the chief minister Punjab, with a keen interest in health sector, should solve the matter, and if he announced this package during his tenure then he would get supports of the families of the general cadre doctors that could make a significant difference in the upcoming general elections. He added that those general cadre doctors who had been given promotion after 18-20 years in grade 18 actually deserved the grade 10-15 years earlier and now they were eligible for 19 or higher grades; hence, their grade should be upgraded according to their actual duration of government service and seniority.
