KARACHI, July 6: The Sindh health department has finalized draft proposal of service structure for about 33,000 paramedical staff working in provincial government hospitals, which will be forwarded it to finance department on Thursday for financial consideration. Sources told PPI that in the new service structure draft, paramedics had been divided in three categories. Some 24 designations were in category one, which include CT Scan technician, CT Scan receptionist, coma care supervisor, paramedical tutor, research assistant, house keeper, CSD technician, instruments technician, lady health visitor, blood transfusion technician, OT technician, ophthalmic technician, laboratory technician, ECG technician, dental technician, heamodialysis technician, leprosy technician, assistant inspector health services, ultrasound technician, physiotherapy technician, dispenser/ dresser/ dawasaz and X-ray technician.

These employees will be promoted maximum at Grade 16 in 20 year service, while the first two posts will be promoted maximum at Grade 17 after completing 15 years in service.

There are 29 designations in second category, which include chief health visitor, homeopathic doctor, superintendent of vaccination, analytical assistant, CSD technician, instruments technician, dark room CT Scan attendant, OT assistant, leprosy field assistant, health inspector, laboratory assistant, leprosy assistant, junior leprosy technician, dark room assistant, microscopist, midwife, ward master, sanitary inspector, superintendent of vaccination, taluka superintendent of vaccination, BCG technician, nurse aid, store keeper, ward store keeper, vaccinator, taluka superintendent vaccinator, assistant malaria supervisor, nursing orderly and male attendant.

These employees have been proposed to be promoted maximum at Grade 13 with completion of 25 years service.

There are 24 designations in the third category, which include driver, dark room attendant, tailor master, pump operator, OT attendant, barber, ward servant, X-ray attendant, laboratory attendant, dental attendant, daftari qasid, naib qasid, aya, cook, dai, bhishti, chowkidar, security guard, malhi, gate keeper, dhobi, porter and sanitary worker. These employees would be promoted at maximum Grade 8 in their 25 years of service.

A meeting of six-member committee of paramedics held talks with Additional Secretaries Technical and Administration Dr Abdul Majid and Dr Riaz Memon at Sindh Secretariat. In the meeting, paramedical leaders agreed in writing on new draft for service structure, which was later forwarded to senior officials.

Meanwhile, Sindh Health Adviser Faisal Malik assured a group of paramedics serving at rural health care facilities that the proposed service structure would be realistic and he would ensure that problems being faced by all paramedics were adequately settled on priority basis.

He said the government which had effectively addressed many of the public grievances would manage to resolve the issue related to service structure for paramedical staff of the province without any unnecessary delay.

He said it was only recently that to safeguard their career and academic year, some 150 to 200 paramedic trainees failing to secure 45 per cent marks were allowed to appear in the final exam.

The adviser mentioned that Sindh was the first province to have chalked out its health policy, according to which experienced and educated paramedics would be provided all opportunities for specialized training paving way for their promotion and economic well-being. —PPI/APP