Professional, special health care allowances to be given to physiotherapists, SHC told

The Sindh government has allowed health professional and special health care allowances to the physiotherapists of the health department with effect from January 1, 2020, the health secretary told the Sindh High Court on a petition of physiotherapists against the non-payment of allowances.

The petitioners, Yasmeen Akhtar, Suresh Kumar and other professional physiotherapists working at different government- run hospitals, had sought implementation a decision of the SHC that directed the Sindh government to consider the case of physiotherapists for the grant of health professional allowance and pass an appropriate order.

Akhtar, Kumar and others said the SHC had ordered the Sindh government to consider their case 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 and not being given the health professional allowance as added to the other health professionals and physiotherapists of other departments; besides, physiotherapists in other provinces were getting such incentives to improve the efficiency and dedication in the field.

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

The petitioners’ counsel submitted that the petitioners were satisfied with the statement filed by the health secretary with regard to the payment of their allowances.

The deputy secretary of health submitted that the statement of the health department would apply to all petitioners without any discrimination. The court after taking the statement of the health department on record disposed of the contempt of court application.