December 13, 2002	Friday	Shawwal 8, 1423

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ISLAMABAD, Dec 12: The government has decided to fix a uniform stipend structure for the trainee doctors serving both at the provincial and federal hospitals, sources in the health ministry told Dawn.

They said the federal ministry had asked the provincial health departments to submit the service structures they offered to the trainee doctors so that the government could fix a certain amount of stipend payable throughout the country.

When contacted the federal health minister, Mohammad Nasir Khan, said: “We want to settle the issue once and for all so that provincial and federal governments pay an equal amount of stipend to the young doctors.”

He accepted that various amounts were being paid to new entrants in the medical profession which was unjustifiable. He said the new government was well aware of the pressing needs of the doctors and would try its level best to address their problems at the earliest.

“I am of the view that the federal government has to divert more funds towards the health sector and in this regard I have talked to the prime minister who has agreed to my proposal to increase the funding for the health ministry,” Nasir Khan said.

It may be added here that the trainee doctors of the FGSH started a week-long silent protest on December 11 to press for the immediate raise in their stipends.

The Trainee Residential Medical Officers (TRMOs) as well as house officers are being paid Rs3,500 as stipend which is the lowest in the country.

On the other hand in the provinces, the stipend for the job has been raised to Rs6,200 which according to the trainee doctors is an insult to their profession, as people from other sectors such as IT with less hard work are earning more money.

A doctor, on condition of anonymity, said a sense of deprivation prevailed among the doctors because their stipends had not been increased for the last two years.