The protest of neurosurgery department employees at Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) has entered the 12th consecutive day on Wednesday against non-payment of pending salaries.
While talking to media, Neurosurgery Employees Action Committee President Ameer Ali Dinari said that 249 employees were hired by the last federal government in 2007 on contract basis for the JPMC neurosurgery project and later they all were regularised in 2011. He said the staff which was regularised included doctors, paramedics, staff nurses, physiotherapists and other support staff.
He said after the devolution, a JPMC accounts officer stopped the salaries of 104 employees on the pretext of non-approval of their PC-4. He said all the employees had original regularisation letters issued by the last government. He claimed that doctors and nurses of neurosurgery, JPMC, were receiving their salaries but only the salaries of paramedical staff were stopped by account officer.
He said the 104 employees of neurosurgery, JPMC, from grade 1 to 16 started protest on September 20 that was continued till date but the JPMC administration had not shown positive response to resolve their issue so far.
He said the employees and their families were passing through economic crisis due to non-payment of their salaries of past three months.
He demanded of the provincial health minister and other authorities concerned to take strict notice of situation and order early release of the pending salaries so that they could also celebrate Eid-ul-Azha with their families. He warned that the employees would commit self-immolation outside the JPMC director office if their salaries were not release by Thursday and an FIR would be registered against the JPMC account officer and the executive director.
Joint Director and In-charge Emergency Department, JPMC, Dr Seemin Jamali was not available for comments.