Doctors demand higher stipends for TMOs

PESHAWAR: The Pakistan Islamic Medical Association (PIMA) has asked the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to raise the stipend of the Trainee Medical Officers (TMOs) keeping in view the inflation.

Speaking at a press conference, the association office-bearers Dr Ammar and others said the government should also release the outstanding stipends of the TMOs.The doctors said that TMOs who had cleared the induction test in the caretaker government were promised to receive Rs5,000 in addition to their stipends but those 195 TMOs had not received stipends for the last six months.

They said that the Punjab government was providing more than Rs100,000 to TMO as a stipend but the stipend for a TMO in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was Rs90,000 and even that amount had not been released to them for the last six months.

The PIMA office-bearers said that the TMOs performed duty round the clock but were not paid which was an injustice.They said that they were raising their voice for their rights but would launch a protest campaign if their demands were not met.The speakers said the health minister had assured them that their issue would be resolved but that was not done.

The PIMA leaders questioned the plan to induct 700 doctors in KP when the Health Department was complaining about the lack of funds.