Despite the clear order of Islamabad High Court (IHC), 67 lower grade technicians, working in various departments of Federal Government Services Hospital, known as Polyclinic, have been running from pillar to post since long to get their salaries but to no avail.
Healthcare services at the Polyclinic were often disturbed due to the paramedics’ incessant strikes against non-payment of their long-pending salaries.
Paramedical staff had been inducted in the hospital in the wake of clearing written tests and interviews. They were issued joining letters on August 3, 2016 and they formally joined their duties in Pathology Department of the hospital; however, they were not paid a penny despite doing their duty quite regularly.
Talking to Pakistan Today, the paramedics said that they were observing strike for their rights, as they had already received their offer letter as well as they did medical from institute recognized by Polyclinic against the offer letter.
“We have given joining now and are doing duties at Polyclinic hospital for the last nine months, but we didn’t get any money hitherto,” they added. Paramedics were of the view that they were being punished for the confused policies of the authorities concerned.
The IHC in its decision a copy of which is available with Pakistan Today stated that the candidates 67 in numbers, who have already been joined and due to misconception about pendency of the matter not issued their salaries. Since, they have declared eligible, therefore, no hurdle remained in their way to pay their salaries as required by law.
“Therefore, the authorities concerned are directed to issue their salaries,” the decision reads.
A paramedic said that though the court had given clear directives regarding release of their salaries, the Ministry of Capital Administration and Development Division (CADD) and Polyclinic administration were not obeying the orders.
He said that some of their colleagues had left the job due to utter frustration and non-cooperative attitude of the government as well as of the hospital administration.
It is quite astonishing that neither the ministry nor the hospital administration is ready to take the responsibility for their appointment.
A senior official in the CADD Ministry wishing anonymity told this scribe that the ministry should not be blamed for the issue, as the CADD representative in the selection committee did not even sign, because the representative was not present in the meeting.
He said that the presence of CADD representative was mandatory in such an important meeting; however the decision was taken in absence of the CADD representative.
Similarly, the Polyclinic administration passed the buck onto the ministry and did not ready to accept the blame.
A senior official in the hospital said that the polyclinic management is just following the directives given by the ministry and could not act independently, as even they could not talk on the policy related matters.
When this scribe contacted, CADD spokesperson Atiqur Rehman said that the matter was sub-judice as the ministry filed intra-court appeal in the IHC.
He said that a total of 118 posts were advertised and after their selection an objection had been raised pertaining to their credentials, selection criteria, quota and qualification.
Therefore, the Polyclinic administration asked the CADD ministry to verify their credentials, resultantly out of the total 118 candidates, credentials of 102 candidates were declared corrected and certified.
However, he said that the finance ministry abolished 50 seats, because the finance ministry under its role could abolish a post lying vacant for three years.
The spokesperson said that therefore, out of the total 102 eligible candidates, 67 candidates have joined their duty.
Polyclinic hospital media coordinator Imtiaz Hasan said that the matter was currently pending before the court and the CADD ministry was looking after the issue; hence he could not comment on it.