ATH registrars threaten to launch protest over promotion issue

ABBOTTABAD: Senior registrars of Ayub Teaching Hospital (ATH) Abbottabad have threatened to launch protest and to paralyse health delivery system if their demands, including long-awaited promotions, were not fulfilled.
According to a statement issued by senior registrars of ATH here on Sunday, the doctors unanimously demanded that promotion matters of Senior registrars (SRs), which were not included in the last selection and promotion meeting, should be placed before the competent authority at the earliest, otherwise they would be left with no other option but to launch protest drive for their rights.
The statement signed by 17 SRs, after attending a meeting at Ayub Teaching Hospital, stated that senior registrar being the teaching post has to be promoted as assistant professor by 5 percent while the remaining posts should be advertised.
The criteria was not considered by AMC management in the last selection & promotion committee meeting wherein all cases of teaching staff were entertained and approved while discrimination was made with senior registrars.
They also stated that SRs were backbone of the hospital and providing best healthcare service to the patients. They asked the health department to hold meeting of selection & promotion committee to consider their promotion cases, otherwise they will opt to protest for their rights.
Those who attended the meeting included Dr Haider Zaman, Dr Shahzad Najeeb, Dr Syed Yasir Hussain, Dr Mattiullah Khan, Dr Saima Bibi, Dr Humaira Jadoon, Dr Irum Sarwar, Dr Zaibullah, Dr Muhammad Younis, Dr Bushra Khan, Dr Saqib Malik, Dr Raza, Dr Zahid, Dr Shahwana Asad, Dr Kashif, Dr Amir Zeb and Dr Taj Muhammad.
Meanwhile, People’s Doctors Forum (PDF), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, has also demanded the provincial health department to hold special meeting of selection & promotion committee immediately to resolve the long-awaited promotion cases of senior registrars of Ayub Teaching Hospital.
Dr Daud Iqbal, information secretary and spokesman of PDF, told media that in a recent meeting of the committee, promotion cases of senior registrars of Ayub Teaching Hospital were not included in agenda and only associate and assistant professors were promoted.
When contacted, AMC Principal Dr Shahid Sultan said that personal files of hospital were kept in the custody of establishment branch, adding that they had not included them in agenda item.