LAHORE: Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Saqib Nisar, during a hearing at Supreme Court’s Lahore registry on Saturday, took notice of the difference in salaries being paid to doctors working at government-owned health facilities and expressed concern at some government-run institutions paying doctors more than the other hospitals.
During the hearing, the CJP gave the example of Pakistan Kidney and Liver Transplant Institute (PKLI), where doctors are being paid Rs1.2 million while on the other hand, the ones working at government hospitals get Rs0.2 million. He added that doctors called from abroad are paid a hefty sum while the local ones are given a smaller amount.
Under what law was such a gap in salaries decided, the chief justice asked, saying it was this disparity that forced doctors of government hospitals to run private clinics on the side and demanded the government hospital doctors be also paid a high salary so that they do not have to practice illegally and fulfill their duties at government hospitals with honesty.
He added that the chief secretary himself gets around Rs0.2 million, but those appointed by him were getting a higher pay.
The chief justice also sought details of hospitals being run on funds by Recep Tayyib Erdogan Trust and said that he would continue to survey hospitals even if anyone had a problem with him doing so.
