March, 20 2005	Sunday	09 Safar 1426

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PESHAWAR, March 19: Different rules prepared by the government for three different categories of senior registrars of teaching hospitals have created discrepancy in their salaries, sources said. “Senior registrars having similar qualification and work experience working in same institution are being governed by different rules which allow some to work in higher grade as compared to their colleagues.” The sources said despite repeated requests to the health department, no effort had been taken to redress their grievances. Some of the senior registrars working at the Khyber Teaching Hospital (KTH), Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) and Hayatabad Medical Complex (HMC) draw the salary of BPS-18, while the others having same qualification and experiences are getting the BPS-17 salary, the sources added. Before 1999, senior registrars were used to be appointed in BPS-18. Their posts were non-transferable which were filled through the Public Service Commission (PSC) and the selected people were eligible for promotion to higher posts, i.e., assistant professors. They are categorised as group ‘A’.

The PSC’s power to select senior registrars was handed over to institutions through a notification issued on Jan 11, 1999. Senior registrars’ posts were made transferable after three years and they were asked to draw the salaries of BPS-17 despite having qualification equivalent to those appointed in BPS-18 before 1999.

At present about 55 senior registrars are working at the KTH, LRH and HMC under this rule who are categorised as group ‘B’.

The Jan 11, 1999, notification was superseded by another notification on Nov 27, 2002, stating that 50 per cent of senior registrars would be eligible for the next post of assistant professor on a seniority-cum-fitness basis.

The health department through yet another order issued in September 2003 stated that senior registrars would be appointed through departmental selection committees. The appointment order didn’t mention that they would be transferred after three years and their posts were again made non-transferable.

Those selected under this order were appointed in BPS-18 and were eligible for promotion to the post of assistant professor. They are categorised as group ‘C’.

The sources said that senior registrars of group ‘A’ and ‘C’ were getting the salary of BPS-18, while those belonged to the group ‘B’ were getting the salary of BPS-17. Likewise, group ‘A’ and ‘C’ are eligible for promotion to higher posts, but those in group ‘B’ are denied this right.

Despite amendment to the contract policy via a notification issued on Nov 12, 2003, the health department was adamant to give the status of government servants to senior registrars of group ‘B’. All these senior registrars are regular government servants and selected by the PSC.

Furthermore, the sources said the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) had made the post of senior registrar a regular and non-transferable post, but the government was reluctant to implement the council’s recommendation.