Murad Ali Shah grants allowances to physiotherapists

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has accorded approval to paying a health professional allowance to the physiotherapists of the health department in the hope that they would further enhance their working capacity by giving more time to the government’s health facilities.

He took this decision in a meeting at CM House on Tuesday. The meeting was attended by Chief Secretary Mumtaz Shah, Principal Secretary to CM Sajid Jamal Abro, Secretary Health Zahid Abbasi, Additional Secretary Finance Nisar Shaikh and others.

The chief minister was told that the physiotherapists were demanding a health professional allowance and a special health care allowance. The chief minister said the government was already paying Rs43 billion in salaries in every month. “The salary bill is on the rise; therefore, the development works are being affected,” he said and added he would never honour any request when the government employees opted to come onto the roads to protest.

Shah agreed to grant both allowances to the physiotherapists and said he would inspect their performance. The health Secretary told the chief minister that there were 48 physiotherapists working in health department: 22 in grade BS-16, 22 in grade BS-17, 13 in grade BS-18 and one in grade B-19.

The total amount would come to Rs111,647 per officer, its monthly impact would be Rs1,689,659 and the annual financial impact would be Rs20,275,908, said the chief minister.