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Doctors’ long march on 9th
Sunday, July 05, 2009
By Amer Malik
LAHORE
PUNJAB Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s order to regularise the services of postgraduate doctors in the province has not been carried out and the issue has been put on the backburner as bureaucracy is not ready to implement the decision by relaxing rules.
The chief minister has approved regularisation of service of doctors in relaxation of rules as a result of a landmark struggle launched by Young Doctors Association (YDA) and support by the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA), which ultimately resulted in notification of regularization of nearly 4,000 junior doctors on May 20, 2009.
The Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) had also demanded regularization of postgraduate doctors as a one-time dispensation under extraordinary circumstances in relaxation of rules. In view of the long struggle of doctors’ community spanning over 13 years, the CM exercising his authority also ordered regularisation/promotion of postgraduate doctors as senior registrars and assistant professors and district specialists in the province.
PMA leaders have regretted that bureaucracy, particularly Regulations Department, was employing its ‘usual’ tactics of putting hurdles in regularisation of postgraduate doctors in the name of rules. They said the department was defying the CM’s orders vis-‡-vis regularisation of postgraduate doctors under his authority to relax rules as had happened in the case of junior doctors.
Earlier, PMA leaders said that former chief minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi on June 7, 2007 also announced regularising doctors but the implementation was deferred due to PMA’s support and participation in lawyer’s landmark movement for the restoration of judiciary in the country. “The then provincial government also offered to shun support to the lawyers’ movement in return for regularization of doctors in the province,” said Dr Tanveer Anwar, General Secretary of the PMA Lahore chapter.
PMA Punjab General Secretary Dr Izhar Chaudhry said that during the tenure of previous provincial government in October 2007, they had also sought approval of amendments to the Punjab Health Department (Medical and Dental Teaching Posts) Service Rules, 1979, and the Punjab Health Department (General Specialists and Miscellaneous Posts) Services Rules, 1981, in line with the rules of the federal government, but the regulations secretary conceded to have given approval “under pressure”, therefore, he recommended to leave the matter to the next government. PMA Lahore President Prof Dr Yasmin Rashid said that PML-N Chief Mian Nawaz Sharif during PMA’s convention on January 8, 2008 before elections also announced taking the PMA into confidence vis-‡-vis all matters relating to health sector and work to improve working condition of doctors.
She said that Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif later also announced regularising doctors at several occasions, including annual conference of the Pakistan Society of Surgeons in Lahore. Besides, Chief Secretary Javed Mahmood also announced regularising postgraduate doctors after regularisation of junior doctors in the province.
Meanwhile, PMA office-bearers also held meetings with the chief secretary, the additional chief secretary and the health secretary to work out the plan for regularization of postgraduate doctors. “The health secretary, after extensive meetings with the PMA that lasted for three days, also forwarded a summary with recommendations of regularisation of postgraduate doctors to the chief secretary but without any further progress,” they said and added that afterwards neither the chief secretary nor the additional chief secretary gave time to the PMA for holding a meeting on the issue.
The Health Department, meanwhile, assigned a laborious task to the PMA and handed over them all relevant official files to prepare a list of postgraduate doctors in the province aspiring for regularisation. The government’s official files were personally seen by this correspondent in PMA House. Therefore, after hectic efforts of over one month, the PMA prepared a comprehensive database of eligible postgraduate doctors for appointment as senior registrars, assistant professors and district specialists on regular basis.
According to data, there are a total of 2,855 eligible postgraduate doctors, including 2,113 regular medical officers (MOs) and 863 working on a contract basis aspiring to be appointed on a regular basis in teaching cadre as senior registrars and assistant professors besides as district specialists at district level in the province. However, out of 2,113 regular MOs, at least 121 are either on leave, appointed on deputation or have expired.
Besides, there are total posts of 1,015 senior registrars out of which only 30 were filled on regular basis, while 985 were either filled on a contract basis, current charge basis or are lying vacant. Similarly, there are 616 posts of assistant professors out of which 131 were filled on regular basis and 485 were either filled on contract basis, current charge basis or were lying vacant. Besides, there are 1,269 posts of district specialists out of which 96 were filled on regular basis and 1,173 were either filled on contract basis, current charge basis or were lying vacant. A copy of the list containing details of postgraduate regular MOs as well as those serving on contract basis in each specialty is also available with The News.
PMA leaders regretted that bureaucracy, particularly Regulations Department, was not ready to relax rules for regularisation of postgraduate doctors as one-time dispensation and wanted all senior postgraduate doctors to compete with junior doctors (in many cases their own pupils) through the Public Service Commission. The Punjab government has already regularized teachers in the Education Department but was discriminating with medical teachers.
As per the agreement between the PMA and the Punjab Health Department, they said, it is government’s responsibility to fulfil its promise whereby all postgraduate doctors should immediately be appointed on a regular basis and promoted in teaching and specialist cadre.
They believed that private medical colleges and some opportunist elements within doctors’ community in connivance with the bureaucracy were out to harm the cause of their colleagues.
The PMA had announced holding a ‘long march’ from the PMA House, 66-Ferozepur Road, to Sharif brothers’ residence in Model Town on July 9, 2009, where they had planned to stage a sit-in until the fulfilment of their demands. The Young Doctors Association has also announced full support and participation in the long march. Preparations for the long march are in full swing in all hospitals all over the province.
When contacted, Additional Chief Secretary Javaid Aslam said that the committee, formed by the provincial government, had recommended the regularization of postgraduate doctors, which was also approved by the Punjab chief minister.
Asked about the delay in implementation of recommendations approved by the chief minister, which prompted doctors to hold a long march for fulfilment of their demands, he said that he was not aware of any development in this regard.
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ISSN 1563-9479 
