January 3, 2003	Friday	Shawwal 29, 1423

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ISLAMABAD, Jan 2: The trainee residential medical officers (TRMOs) of the capital’s two major hospitals, Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) and Federal Government Services Hospital (FGSH), have threatened to observe a complete strike from next week if their monthly stipend is not increased.

A source told Dawn that in a joint meeting, the TRMOs of the two hospitals had decided that they would not attend the Out Patient Departments daily for an hour or so. The trainee doctors intend to gather outside their respective hospitals during that particular hour to deliver speeches on the issue.

The TRMOs have again called a joint meeting on Monday to finalize a strategy to observe the strike in a “forceful manner”.

The doctors, under the banner of Association of Trainee Doctors of Federal Capital Islamabad, have also submitted a presentation to President Gen Pervez Musharraf, Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali, health minister Mohammad Nasir Khan, secretary health Ejaz Rahim, MNA Mian Mohammad Aslam and College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan. The source, however, said the trainee doctors had not received a reply from any quarter and, therefore, were not sure about the outcome of their presentation.

In their presentation, they have requested for increasing the stipends according to the living cost in the federal capital, besides arranging accommodation for lady doctors as well as married doctors. They have also requested the authorities concerned to entitle trainee doctors and their dependents to treatment at the two hospitals.

“We have been forced to adopt such an unprofessional attitude because we believe that no body is ready to understand the pathetic condition in which we are living on such a meagre stipend, which is also hampering our studies,” a doctor said on condition of anonymity.

He said the joint meeting had considered the outcome of their earlier protest. He said the monthly stipend of doctors working as TRMO, postgraduate residents, internees or house officers was Rs3,500. Whereas, the provincial governments have increased the stipends of trainee doctors to Rs8,200 last year, while the house officers are getting Rs6,200. He said the trainee doctors of the FGSH and Pims were also promised a raise in stipend a year ago, but nothing had been done so far.

He also recalled the minimum wage ordinance notification of December 28, 2002, which determined minimal daily wages of the skilled, unskilled and semi-skilled labour. The notification suggested that the monthly rates for part-time employees as Rs1,500 per month; for skilled labour, Rs220 per day; semi- skilled labour, Rs170 per day; and unskilled labour, Rs150 per day.

The source said the doctors pursuing the postgraduate training were being paid only Rs116.6 per day.