PESHAWAR, Nov 20: The government has been paying salaries of BPS-17 scale to the senior registrars who were appointed in BPS- 18 at three teaching hospitals, health officials and affected doctors told Dawn.

About 35 senior registrars (SRs), who were appointed by the respective institution management committees (IMCs) of the three teaching hospitals —Khyber Teaching Hospital (KTH), Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) and Hayatabad Medical Complex (HMC)— in October 2002 as SRs in BPS-18, said that they had been deceived by the government.

One of the affected doctors said that they had passed FCPS, FRCS and MRCP etc., in medicines, paeds, gynae, surgery, cardiology and they were eligible for the said posts.

He said that there was no condition of contract employment in the advertisement carried by the local dailies. The advertisement had clearly indicated that the new selectees would be appointed as SRs and it was not mention that they would get pay scales of BPS-17, he added.

He said during interviews held in November 2002, we weren’t informed that we would be recruited on contractual basis as SRs.

All these SRs had previously been appointed by the health department through public service commission as medical officers in BPS-17.

In the wake of the grievances of these doctors, the then chief executive of the KTH forwarded an application on behalf of SRs to the secretary health that was returned with the remarks that the SRs had been appointment in line with the new contract policy of the government.

Secretary Health Dr Ihsanul Haq told Dawn that the SRs had been appointed on a three-year contract. After the completion of the contract period they would revert to their original posts, he added.