KARACHI: Doctors working at the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) have demanded the Sindh government for their promotion denied to them for several years.

“After 18th Amendment in 2011, three major health facilities including the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD), National Institute of Child Health (NICH) and JPMC were devolved to Sindh,” said Prof Dr Shahbaz Haider, chairman of the JPMC Doctors Association, while addressing a press conference at the Karachi Press Club.

“Just before the administrative takeover of three hospitals by the Sindh government, the administration and most of the faculty members filed a petition in Sindh High Court (SHC) against the process of devolution and obtained a restrain order on June 30, 2011, in which the SHC maintained that the Sindh government must not take any coercive measures against the petitioners.”

Since 2011, he said, it had been 10 years that the promotions had not been given to the teaching faculty and general cadre doctors. He referred to several communication of the doctors’ body with the Sindh chief secretary in which he had assured promotions, but in vain.

“Similarly, several letters have been written to the health secretary to convey our concerns during the past several months,” said Professor Haider. “Our colleagues also held a meeting with the health secretary to inquire about the progress of promotion process, but no tangible developments have been witnessed so far. Senior JPMC doctors and teaching faculty are suffering from sheer mental anxiety and agony and it is mounting on every passing day.”

Accompanied by Associate Prof Dr Erum Bukhari and Assistant Prof Dr Naeem Khan, he said there were several vacant posts of professors, assistant professors and associate professors but the government was neither filling any of them nor promoting doctors to fill such positions.

Published in Dawn, October 15th, 2021