KARACHI, May 27: The administration of the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre has met some demands put forward by the postgraduate doctors who were on strike on Monday and Tuesday. However, their main demand — that of payment of stipend — has not been met so far.
At a meeting between the doctors representing the striking employees and the JPMC’s director on Tuesday, it was decided that the hospital would discontinue charging Rs1,200 per year from the postgraduate doctors as “dissertation fee”. Similarly, the hospital would pay Rs6,200 every month to its 54 RMOs who are enrolled with the College of Physicians and Surgeons.
Previously these trainee RMOs were being paid Rs3,500 per month. During the meeting, the representatives of the striking doctors, urged their director to start paying stipend to them as soon as possible, as directed by the authorities. The JPMC’s director told the postgraduate doctors that he was in touch with the ministry of finance over the issue.
He assured them that they would start getting the stipend as soon as the ministry provided the funds needed. The director further said the JPMC was likely to get the necessary funds in the next budget.
The JPMC’s director also told the postgraduate doctors that his hospital had about Rs1 million which could be invested for the betterment of its library. A plan had already been chalked out in this regard, he said to the postgraduate doctors.
Meanwhile, the outpatient department, operation theatres and emergency ward of the JPMC operated quite smoothly on Tuesday even though more than 250 postgraduate doctors were on strike, according to a spokesman for the JPMC’s administration.
The striking doctors were demanding the payment of stipend. The spokesman said services were provided to the admitted patients and also the walk-in patients by the hospitals RMOs, TRMOs and House Officers.
CPSP CRITICIZED: The decision of College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan (CPSP) to disaffiliate JPMC was criticized by a spokesman for the JPMC on Tuesday, adds PPI.
The spokesman claimed that the CPSP’s decision was based on distortion of facts. The decision has triggered a strike by the JPMC’s postgraduate doctors even though considerable work has already been done on the issues which remain outstanding between the striking employees and the administration.
The spokesman pointed out that the CPSP had tried to implicate the director of JPMC in the non-payment of stipend, which is contrary to the real situation. No notification has been issued yet by the ministry of health for payment of stipend to the postgraduate students. Also, the director has not been vested with the authority to dispense such payments without clear instructions by the ministry.
“It is pertinent to point out that in addition to the RMOs required by the Federal Public Service Commission, who also undergo training and are regular government servants, 54 trainee RMOs are paid stipend as postgraduate employees by the ministry of health,” he said.
The spokesman said it had been decided in principle, that this stipend would be increased to bring the trainee RMOs at par with those in other government institutions. The decision will be implemented shortly.
Referring to the status of the strike called by the postgraduate doctors, the spokesman claimed that each of the employees had pledged, through an undertaking at the start of their training, not to indulge in any political or unlawful activities. “Despite a violation of their pledge, the JPMC has taken a lenient approach towards the strike which has caused hardship and problems to large number of patients,” the spokesman added.
