‘No compromise on status of PIMS and employees’

Shahina Maqbool

Islamabad Employees of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) had a second round of parleys with the PM’s Special Adviser Ali Awan here Tuesday to communicate their key demands with reference to the status of PIMS and protection of their civil servant rights, both of which stand threatened on account of the Medical Teaching Institutions (MTI) Ordinance. “We have demanded that PIMS should continue to remain under Schedule III, and that our status as civil servants should remain unchanged. A civil servant who does not opt for MTI should remain civil servant of an attached department of the federal government. We should be entitled to all perks and privileges of the federal government, in particular promotions, pensions, gratuity, housing, monetization, health facilities and other privileges declared by the federal government from time to time,” the Grand Health Alliance’s (GHA) Chairman Dr. Asfandyar stated while talking to his scribe. Dr. Asfandyar said, the demands of PIMS employees, whose protest continued for the 16th consecutive day on Tuesday, also include being promoted according to the Civil Servants Act 1973 against vacant posts in the line of promotion. “We will not agree to vacant posts for the purpose of promotion being abolished or filled through MTI. We also want to be able to draw health allowance, health risk allowance and other financial benefits,” Dr. Asfandyar stated. Ali Awan promised to discuss the demands of the protesting employees with the PM’s Advisor on Health and to address all their reservations in due course. “We are glad that the government has started a dialogue and are hoping it will withdraw the ordinance, which we will not accept in its present shape at any cost,” Dr. Hyder Abbasi stated. Meanwhile, the strike will continue till the acceptance of the PIMS employees’ demand.