HYDERABAD, Sept 11: The Pakistan Medical Association (PMA), Sindh chapter, has expressed grave concern over the existing anomalies in the health department and warned that if the health department did not rectify its wrongdoings and continued exploiting doctors, then the PMA would be compelled to give a call for protest.

The president of the PMA, Dr Noor Mohammad Memon, in a statement faxed to Dawn on Thursday, said that the charm of government service lied in timely promotions on the basis of one’s performance and it was also an incentive for future.

He pointed out that one of the essential requirements for promotion was the annual confidential report, and added that according to service rules, it was the responsibility of the reporting officer to submit the annual confidential report within the specified time at the end of the year after which it loses its validity.

He claimed that this had also been vouchsafed through a court decision.

In practice, however, he said, the incumbent was himself asked to collect the annual confidential report for all the previous years for presentation before the selection board.

He said non-production of annual confidential report of even one year excludes the incumbent from competition for promotion. He said this is not only an injustice but also flagrant violation of rules.

About the appointment and posting on senior administrative posts, the provincial president, PMA, said that the rules for selection on senior administrative posts were mainly based on seniority and suitability.

He said seniority means three or four senior-most officers of the required cadre whereas suitability means having required experience, relevant training and annual performance report.

He, however, maintained that with the passage of time and changed system of governance, the rule of seniority and suitability had given way to recommendation by the politicians and the blessings of bureaucrats and other hidden hands.

He said that the situation had been further exploited by over-ambitious officers after the devolution plan due to tug of war between lower and upper tiers of political and democratic set up.

He said that administrative arrangements at institutional and major hospitals at the EDO and THO levels had been so shuffled that junior officers of lower grade had been posted over their seniors.

Dr Memon said that things did not end here but even the junior officers with a bad track record and enquiries pending against them had been posted on important posts over and above their seniors.

He said a retiring senior officer, who is not to be displaced during the last one year of his service, has been displaced without alternative postings only four to five months before his retirement.

He said such an officer had to shuttle between the AG Sindh office and the parent department for the settlement of his emoluments and pension.

He said a senior officer proceeding on medical leave to undergo major surgery is not given a posting when he reports back on duty despite there being vacant posts.