SHC summons chief secretary to explain why directives not implemented

The Sindh High Court has issued a notice to the chief secretary, directing him to appear and explain why its directives have not been complied with regarding a plea for the grant of a health professional allowance to physiotherapists.

The notice was issued at a hearing of a petition of Yasmeen Akhtar, Suresh Kumar and other professional physiotherapists working at different government-run hospitals, who sought implementation a high court order for the Sindh government to consider the case of physiotherapists for the grant of a health professional allowance and pass an appropriate order.

Senior physiotherapists Yasmeen Akhtar, Suresh Kumar and other petitioners said the SHC had ordered the provincial government to consider their plea for the grant of a health professional allowance and pass an appropriate order as provided under the law, after granting them a meaningful hearing within two months.

They said physiotherapists working in the health department were being discriminated against and not given the health professional allowance as given to the other health professionals and physiotherapists of other departments; besides, physiotherapists in other provinces were getting such incentives to improve efficiency and dedication in the field.

They requested the court to direct the respondents to consider their request for a health professional allowance in light of the Sindh High Court judgment and approve the allowance as it has been given to the special education centre’s employees and pharmacists in the health department.

The court observed that for the last few dates, the government had been giving lame excuses insofar as a summary was pending in pursuance of the court orders as well as the outcome of the hearing, which was nothing but delaying tactics. It issued a notice to chief secretary for a personal appearance on the date to be fixed by the office after the winter holidays.