PESHAWAR: The administration of public sector Lady Reading Hospital has granted extension in service to head of gastroenterology department a day after his retirement in violation of the prescribed law.

“Whereas on attaining the age of superannuation on April 17, 2020, Dr Aamir Ghafoor, professor of gastroenterology, will continue to work as professor of gastroenterology at LRH with effect from April 18, 2020,” a notification issued from the office of LRH dean stated.

The services of Dr Ghafoor will be governed under regulations of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Medical Teaching Institutions Reforms Act (MTIRA), 2015 and his gross monthly salary will be Rs350,000 per month.

Dr Ghafoor is an institutional employee recruited under KP Medical and Health Institution and Regulations of Health Care Services 2002 Act and cannot be granted extension according to MTIRA 2015, which says that attaining the age of superannuation renders the employees to a new contract if their services are necessary for the institution and they have to fulfil the laid down criteria for professorship and head of the department (HoD).

“The move is likely to trigger litigation and depletion of the faculty as at least four professors have left their services and were immediately given jobs by private hospitals and colleges,” sources in LRH said.

BoG chairman says he will look into the matter

They said that young consultants would not be able to groom and put their efforts towards improvement and development of the institutions.

Sources said that extension in services could be granted by the Board of Governors to an MTI employee but Prof Ghafoor was an institutional employee.

According to the law, all promotions and extension of MTI employees are placed before the BoG meeting but there was no such meeting.

Extensions can be granted to the medical, nursing, hospital and finance directors only, who have been recruited under the MTIRA 2015.

“The order by dean is erroneous and can be reversed, since it was not done with mala fide intent. I believe his promotion was approved by the promotion committee, but I can look at that,” Prof Nausherwan Barki, the chairman of BoG of LRH, told Dawn.

He said that Prof Ghafoor was not retired or extended as he continued his position under MTI rules so there was no need to issue any extension notice according to the Act.

Prof Barki said the notification in question was an error because of confusion as to the impact of the amended MTI Act item 16(2), according to which all MTI employees now fell under the same rules.

These rules did not require an age limit hence Dr Ghafoor would automatically continue his current position unless informed otherwise and there was no requirement for reappointment or extension, he said.

Published in Dawn, May 28th, 2020