PIMS employees plan to resist MTI Act

Islamabad: Office-bearers of the All Employees PIMS Restoration Movement (AEPRM) Wednesday announced their intention to finalise a strategy aimed at resisting the government’s attempt to implement the Medical Teaching Institutions Reforms Act (MTI Act 2015) in the hospital.

Announcing the decision at an emergency meeting held at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) here on Wednesday, the office-bearers said, the strategy will be unveiled at a press conference to be convened next week.

Meanwhile, all employees of the hospital will be taken into confidence during Monday’s general body meeting, and all other public sector hospitals in Islamabad will also be brought on board for a befitting response to the government’s “highly discouraging” strategy of entrusting the affairs of the hospital to a Board of Directors, they announced.

The spokesman of AEPRM Dr. Asfandyar Khan, who is also Chairman of the Young Consultants Association of Pakistan and of the Federal Doctors Association, expressed concern over the fact that despite assurances extended by the Special Adviser to the PM on National Health, the government is proactively working to implement the MTI Act without taking the AEPRM into confidence.

“When we expressed our reservations to the Advisor during a recent meeting, he assured us that no step would be taken without consulting all stakeholders, particularly doctors. He had also guaranteed that AEPRM representatives would be invited to any meeting convened on the subject. None of these promises has been fulfilled,” he regretted, adding “we are left with no option but to devise a resistance strategy.”

Mohammad Nawaz Lali, president of the PIMS Officers Association, said, “We are also aware that the PIMS administration is preparing to hire contractual employees on regular vacant posts; these posts were previously advertised, tests and interviews were conducted and lists of final selected candidates were also prepared. However, the Ministry of Health and the PIMS administration connived to deliberately delay the process of sending out appointment letters within the stipulated timeframe because they had other plans.”