April 01, 2008	Tuesday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 23, 1429

KARACHI, March 31: House-job officers and trainee doctors from various health care facilities in the city on Sunday demanded a raise up to Rs12,000 per month to their basic pay, pointing out that a similar raise was granted for their counterparts in the Punjab. They drew the attention of the authorities in the Sindh government to the announcements made repeatedly in the past, and regretted that any raise in their salaries was yet to be seen.

The doctors were speaking at a gathering organised by the Pakistan Medical Association at the PMA House here on Sunday.

It discussed the problems being faced by young doctors while discharging their duties at public and private sector hospitals and other health care facilities. The debate was facilitated by General-Secretary of the PMA, Karachi, Dr Samrina Hashmi. Dr Habib-ur-Rehman Soomro, Dr Humayun Basher, Dr Umer Farooq and Dr Mehmood Khan were also present.

Dr Samrina said that PMA would soon finalise a set of recommendations for improvement in the health sector and better job opportunities for medical professionals. It would also approach the quarters concerned for the purpose, she added.

The junior doctors complained of indifferent attitude on the part of the Sindh government with regard to their salaries and working conditions. The government, they added, should introduce regulations on private health facilities, ensure strengthening of public sector hospitals and also take steps to make the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council a genuine institution caring medical professionals and grooming medical graduates.

The participants were of the view that private sector hospitals had been given a freehand to abuse the lot of new doctors. In the absence of some regulations or a mechanism for the recognition and registration of private sector hospitals, including those belonging to universities, philanthropists or welfare organisations, new doctors had to work against a very low and unfair salary, they maintained.

They demanded an end to the exploitation of young doctors, and urged the government to take appropriate measures to improve not only the financial reward system, but also the prevailing unhealthy environment. “Doctors have to work for hours in inconsiderate conditions under thoughtless managements,” they said, adding that there was a need for creating comfortable and hygienic environment at many of the government and private sector hospitals.

The forum adopted several resolutions and some of them called for complete transparency in all health-related matters from recruitment to procurement. It was demanded that incentives be given to those serving in remote areas and the interior of the province so that they could stay there and work there comfortably.

The forum also stressed the need for strengthening basic health units (BHUs), rural health centres (RHUs) and taluka hospitals through recruitment of midwives, nurses, paramedics, doctors and specialists on a priority basis.

An independent, autonomous, powerful and representative PMDC for the regularisation of medical education and training in Pakistan should also be ensured and an effective campaign against quackery be launched, it said, adding that a law to check propagation of quackery through electronic and print media be made and implemented.

The forum also urged the government to do away with the practice of establishing new hospitals and medical colleges on an ad hoc basis, and suggested that attention be paid to the strengthening of present tertiary care centres, teaching hospitals and medical colleges. It stressed the need for increasing capacity of the existing health care facilities and institutions for a careful and cost-effective health delivery to the masses.

Through another resolution, the forum demanded regularising private health care and medical education system for the benefit of common man.