PESHAWAR, April 16: The Doctor’s Action Committee, Fata, has asked the Nifaz-i-Shariat Council to recommend to the government the regularization of the services of the contract doctors to remove the prevalent unrest among them.

The demand was aired in a meeting of the action committee, held under its chairman, Dr Hamid Iqbal Bangash, here on Friday.

The meeting welcomed the recommendations of the Nifaz-i-Shariat Council, with regard to bringing improvement in the health sector. Among those who attended the meeting were Dr Sofia Khan, Dr Nargis, Dr Saeed, Dr Alamgir and Dr Sarwat.

It said about 800 medical officers, including 200 women medical officers, had been working in different parts of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas as well as in the basic health units (BHUs), rural health centres (RHCs) and dispensaries in the settled areas of the province on contract basis since 1995.

It recalled that the issue of contract doctors had been raised in the first session of the provincial assembly and later was also discussed in the cabinet meeting on March 12, wherein it had been stated that the government would regularise the services of these doctors. But nothing had taken place, so far, and the poor doctors were faced with an uncertain situation.

It said the Sindh government had already regularised the services of more than 800 contract doctors, but the NWFP doctors were still awaiting the regularization of their jobs.

All these doctors worked in far off and harder areas against fixed salaries with no allowances or other privileges and many of them were also facing security problems in the remote areas yet they were performing their duties of serving the people, the meeting said.

It further said that senior minister Sirajul Haq had promised to regularise the services of the contract doctors and asked him to fulfil his promise.