KARACHI: Paramedics' service structure not yet finalized
KARACHI, Feb 13: Due to apathy of provincial health officials, service structure for paramedical staff has not been finalized yet, even after passage of five years and despite repeated commitments
, restricting financial benefits to more than 33,000 paramedics working in the health facilities of the province.
The posts of paramedics of various categories have not been adequately reformed since their creation in the health department and the employees have been working in the same grade since then.
The paramedics have been approaching for re-organizing the service structure of the existing posts in the health department of Sindh. An official of the provincial health department said that the bureaucracy in health and finance departments was applying delaying tactics and creating hurdles in the approval of service structure of paramedical staff.
He said that the health department under four-tier programme had upgraded and re-designated the posts of doctors from BPS-17 to 18, BPS-18 to 19 and BPS-19 to 20. Likewise, he added, the posts of paramedical staff should have been upgraded and re-designated for getting the benefits of higher service status.
The incumbents on posts still are working in the same grades and pay scales although majority of them have put up more than 10 to 15 years of services in their respective assignments and drawing maximum pay in the present grades.
In order to bring uniformity in the pay scales and grades of paramedical staff, he said, it was imperative and supportive that the health department should consider the proposed basic pay scales and selection grades according to the length of service of paramedical staff and medical attendant categories.
A proposed service structure for paramedics in Sindh was submitted to the health department in 1999 by the then DG Health, but that has not been finalized even after lapse of several years. The service structure proposed three categories of paramedics along with financial implication to be involved on all the posts.
It was stated that in category-I, there are 5,295 posts of BPS-9 including lady health visitor 246, blood transfusion technician 37, OT technician 215, ophthalmic technician 22, laboratory technician 293, health technician 1650, ECG technician 120, dental technician 318, haemodialysis technician 17, leprosy technician 17, assistant inspectress health service 21, ultrasound technician 24, physiotherapy technician 16, dispenser/ dresser/ compouder/ dawasaz 2051 and X-ray technicians 248.
The BPS-9 was proposed to upgrade at BPS-12, for 10-15 year service BPS-14 and for 15-20 years of service BPS-16. Total difference of pay and allowances after upgrading scale will be Rs25.874273 million.
Total posts in category-II are 4,772 including research assistant, house keepers, chief lady health worker, homeopathic doctor, hakeem, superintendent of vaccination, analytical assistant, CSD technician, instrument technician, OT assistant, leprosy field assistant, health inspector, leprosy assistant, leprosy technician, laboratory assistant, microscopist, midwife, ward master, sanitary inspector, AS vaccination, TS vaccination, and BCG technician.
The difference of pay and allowances after upgrading grades from BPS-15 to 16 for 10-15 years, BPS-16 to 17 for 15-20 years of service, was estimated at Rs21.608486 million.
In category-III, total number of posts are 13,637 including drivers, tailor masters, pump operator, OT attendant, ward servant, attendant/x-ray attendant, laboratory attendant, dental attendant, daftiri, qasid, naib qasid, aya, cook, daie (birth attendant), bhisti, chowkidar (watchman), security guard, gardener, gatekeeper, dhobi, porter, and sanitary worker.
Total difference of pay and allowances after upgrading their scales from BPS-7 to BPS-9 for 10-15 years of service and BPS-11 for 15-20 years was said to be Rs18.771192 million. -PPI
