Medical teachers body criticises Reforms Act

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Medical College Teaching Staff Association (KMCTSA) has expressed concern over some regulations introduced in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Medical Teaching Institution Reforms Act and asked the government to address their reservations or evolve a strategy for doing away with the services of doctors in an honourable way.
The KMCTSA general body held its meeting at the Khyber Teaching Hospital (KTH) where the doctors agreed on a three points agenda.The doctors said the government had made commitment with them in the Reforms Act that existing hospital employees would be allowed to work under the current terms and conditions.
However, in the rules, they complained that the government did not honour its commitment and is now asking the doctors to work under the new terms and conditions.KMCTSA General Secretary Dr Amer Azhar, who is working as an associate professor at KTH nephrology department, said the government had changed the rules for selection and promotion as well as IBP of the doctors, which he wasn’t acceptable to the medical community.
Secondly, he argued that since PMDC is a supreme body that governs all the hospitals, the government should handle selection and promotion of the doctors through the PMDC criterion.He said to the government was to develop a strategy for an honourable exit of the doctors. “If the government doesn’t want to see our faces in the hospital, it should then evolve a strategy for pension with full benefits and golden handshake of the hospital employees,” Dr Amer Azhar said while quoting the unanimous decision of the doctors.
The doctors also complained that before holding their meeting they tried their best to get an appointment from Health Secretary Mushtaq Jadoon to discuss with him these issues, but he has been avoiding meeting with representatives of the doctors due to reasons best known to him.