LAHORE: Chief Minister Usman Buzdar has directed the officials to return the amount deducted from the salaries of doctors.

The doctors’ two-day salary was deducted by the Punjab government for the corona relief fund – as was the case for all government employees serving from BS-1 to BS-22.

Following doctors’ protest over the deduction of salary, the chief minister took notice and directed the officials to return the deducted amount to doctors.

The Punjab government had in April deducted salaries of all government employees: one-day salary of employees serving from BS-1 to BS-16, two-day salary from BS-17 to BS-20 and three-day salary from BS-21 to BS-22 employees – for corona relief fund.

Former chief secretary Azam Suleman Khan had presented a cheque of Rs1.18 billion to the chief minister on behalf of the Punjab government employees for corona relief fund.

The chief minister directed that the health department should also immediately notify allowance for all healthcare workers, which should be equal to their salaries.

The Punjab government tweeted, which was re-tweeted by Chief Minister Usman Buzdar, that all front line workers in the war against coronavirus would be given double pay from April 1.

Published in Dawn, May 1st, 2020