HFH employees stage protest against abolition of posts

Rawalpindi : The employees of Holy Family Hospital (HFH) including paramedical staff, computer operators and Class IV employees staged a protest demonstration within the premises of the hospital on Tuesday against the abolition of hundreds of posts of various categories from HFH and Benazir Bhutto Hospital (BBH) that hindered the working at the outpatient department of the HFH adding miseries to the lives of hundreds of patients.

In response to a request made by the Specialised Healthcare and Medical Education Department for creation of posts of various categories for Government Syed Muhammad Hussain 360 bedded General cum TB Hospital Samli Murree, the Finance Department Government of the Punjab is going to abolish 573 posts from the HFH and BBH.

According to a letter issued by the Finance Department, it agrees to the creation of 367 posts of various categories in favour of newly converted General Hospital Government Syed Muhammad Hussain 360 bedded General cum TB Hospital Samli Murree in lieu of abolition of 573 posts of various categories from Holy Family Hospital Rawalpindi and Benazir Bhutto Hospital Rawalpindi institutions subject to the condition that expenditure involved will be borne out of its existing budget during CFY 2023-24. No extra funds will be provided for the subject purpose.

The employees recording protest on Tuesday were of the view that they had been working in Holy Family Hospital for years and now they are being transferred to Syed Muhammad Hussain Hospital in Samli that would certainly cause a number of difficulties in their lives. They were of the view that being residents of Rawalpindi, it may not be possible for them to serve in Murree area.

Medical Superintendent at HFH Dr. Ijaz Butt and MNA from PML-N Muhammad Hanif Abbasi negotiated with the employees after that the employees resumed working in their respective departments at the HFH however, they demanded the government authorities to resolve the issue otherwise they would have to go on strike.

Dr. Ijaz while talking to ‘The News’ on Tuesday said a total of 197 employees serving at the HFH in BPS-1 to BPS-15 have been transferred to the newly converted General Hospital in Samli while 71 posts in the category lying vacant at the HFH have been abolished, which are being transferred to Samli Hospital. Another 55 seats of BPS-17 to BPS-20 that were lying vacant at the HFH have been abolished from the HFH and would be given to General Hospital in Samli, Murree, he added.

Similarly some 250 posts are being abolished from BBH and are being given to General Hospital in Samli. Dr. Ijaz said that actually, not a single employee is being terminated from service instead the employees (posts) being transferred to the up-graded Samli Hospital would be given salary from their new service station. To a query, he said not a single doctor serving at the HFH is being transferred to Syed Muhammad Hussain Hospital in Samli though the posts of 20 medical officers and 10 women medical officers lying vacant at the HFH have been abolished and are being given to the General Hospital in Samli.