RAHIM YAR KHAN: The future of more than 846 employees (450 class IV daily wages, 350 paramedics and other grade five to 17 ad hoc employees) of the Shaikh Zayed Medical College Hospital (SZMCH) appointed from 2008 to 2019 by different principals is at stake.

An inquiry into these appointments has long been ongoing with the Specialised Healthcare and Medical Education Department in Lahore. These employees have been protesting for many years to get their jobs regularised.

According to sources in the SZMCH, since 2007, six principals made these appointments without advertising them or following other codal formalities on personal ledger accounts, arranged by the Board of Management (BoM). They are being paid through the funds generated by the internal resources of the SZMCH although these funds are dedicated for patients’ welfare and other purposes.

These employees are being given extension without following the rules and regulations of the SZMCH.

Sources say a former principal appointed pharmacists and technologists in grade 17 in violations of the powers in 2019-20.

These 846 employees are protesting under the umbrella of the Greater Health Alliance (GHA). The GHA last year made then finance director Kalimullah Mahar hostage in his office and manhandled Security Director Dr Hafiz Umar Jamil for not releasing their salaries. Mr Mahar went back to his finance department after refusing to release the salaries.

Later, the health secretary gave the additional charge of the finance director to Dera Ghazi Khan Hospital’s Nadeem Sohail who also sought to be relieved from charge and also refused to release the illegal salaries.

Later, the health secretary gave the charge to SZMCH budget officer Khurshid Ahmed who released the salaries.

An SZMCH insider told this correspondent that the recruitment of the budget officer was against merit. Last month, the GHA organised a week-long sit-in camp at Adda Khanpur and divided the city into two portions after disconnecting traffic.

Later, the district administration, parliamentarians and members of the SZMCH BOM met the GHA on Jan 18, 2021, and convinced them to end protest with an assurance that their jobs would be extended for three months till April 18, 2021, and arrangements for their salaries would be made.

GHA Chairman Dr Amjad said all these appointments were made by different principals who only wanted to establish new departments in the SZMCH. He said these employees could not be blamed for any wrongdoings because they were hired on the orders of principals.

SZMCH Medical Superintendent Dr Agha Touhid says the issue of fulfilling the codal formalities was not followed in all cases; 60pc of daily wages employees were appointed without following the codal formalities.

He said they were waiting for the findings and recommendations from the Specialised Healthcare and Medical Education Department.

A media coordinator for the SZMCH said these 846 employees were recruited in the period between 2008 and 2019 upon an urgent need basis. The SZMCH has approximately vacant seats of 1,600 employees and prima facie, these employees are fulfilling the needs of the institution.

A probe committee gathered facts in December 2020 and their recommendations are being finalised.

The BoM has extended the period of these employees till April 18 whereas SZMCH Principal Prof Dr Tariq Ahmed, BoM Chairman Dr Tanveer Saleem Bajwa and Specialised Healthcare and Medical Education Secretary Barrister Nabil Awan are trying find a solution to the issue.

Published in Dawn, March 1st, 2021