Dreams and hopes of doctors working at Sheikh Zayed Hospital have turned sour after its transfer to the Punjab government which has no plans to give them the Health Professional Allowance (HPA), which has already resulted in drastic cuts in their salaries, Pakistan Today has learnt. Per details, the SZH doctors were getting an HPA after the young doctors went on strike in Lahore and other parts of the country including the federal capital to demand special salary package. The federal government announced the HPA under an ordinance under which Rs 20,000, Rs 30,000 and Rs 40,000 extra were being given to an assistant professor, associate professor and professor. The Punjab government also announced a special salary package for doctors across the board in all government hospitals in Punjab.
However, the doctors and other employees stopped getting the HPA after the hospital was transferred to the Punjab government. This has caused a lot of confusion and resentment among the doctors who had hoped to get the HPA after the transfer. An associate professor, on the condition of anonymity, said, “I was initially getting Rs 150,000 from the federal government but now my salary is around Rs 90,000…the Punjab government has actually struggled to get the hospital from centre and the employees thought it would be for their betterment, but instead we have received salary cuts and there is resentment among our ranks…also our salary was delayed for the first time.” Even before the transfer of the hospital, a debate started in the hospital employees which expressed their concern regarding the shift and its “consequences” for the employees. However, the provincial government had assured them of “minimal changes” and better conditions.
Another female doctor, seeking anonymity, said “I am a grade 17 medical officer and my salary just got reduced from Rs 90,000 to Rs 35,000…the general impression among doctors, juniors and seniors is that after the transfer of the hospital to Punjab government conditions are going to worsen for doctors…besides we have no idea what is going on.” SZH Chairman Professor Zafar Iqbal had however assured the doctors that they would be given the same salaries as they were drawing on December 13. He said work was underway on various issues regarding the transfer. Health Secretary Captain (r) Arif Nadeem however said the Punjab government had given and will be giving “exactly the same salary which they [Sheikh Zayed Hospital employees] were getting from the federal government prior to handing over to the Punjab government on February 13.”
He further said the employees were getting the HPA under an ordinance which did not become an act in the federal government and hence it lapsed and the doctors stopped getting the HPA. The federal government then started an arrangement and the prime minister announced additions in the basic pay scale. “Around Rs 36 million was announced as an addition in the basic pay scale and the amount was disbursed among all employees which is almost the same as their previous pay,” he said. To a question, he said two doctors had worked with the federal government on the issue already and have conceded for the arrangement in meetings and hence “there is no resentment in the community”.
To another question on salary delay, he said the first 14 day salary was transferred by the federal government and the Punjab government had paid the salary for the remaining days. “The HPA announced by the Punjab government will not be given to the SZH since it is a trust and works under a different statute than other hospitals …it’s fees and other charges are also different,” Nadeem added.
You are in Punjab, please don’t ask for a pay raise, thank you!
