KARACHI, May 12: The Pakistan Medical Association on Friday praised the Sindh health department and congratulated the Sindh Paramedical Association for approval of paramedics’ service structure.

In a statement issued here, Karachi PMA general secretary Dr Qaiser Sajjad said the association believed that paramedical staff, nurses and midwives were the main actors in any people- and patient-friendly healthcare system.

He said approval of service structure of doctors had been a longstanding demand of the Karachi PMA.

Dr Sajjad said doctors, particularly junior doctors and house job officers, were being paid a low salary of Rs6,210 which was not enough and, in fact, was insult to the profession. He pointed out that doctors in the same grade were getting different salaries in different government and semi-government hospitals.

“There is no system of progress and promotion for senior consultants working in public hospitals and there is a need to develop such a system based on merit,” he said.

He alleged that private hospitals with or without medical colleges were also exploiting junior doctors by paying them minimal possible salary. He urged private hospitals to develop a system in which junior doctors got decent salary.

He said a proper healthcare system was not possible without a proper career structure for doctors and urged the government to take this challenge on emergency basis.—PPI