PESHAWAR: The notification of health department regarding enhancement of 480 seats for trainee medical officers (TMOs) has drawn mixed response from two organisations representing medics in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Provincial Doctors Association (PDA) has termed the notification ludicrous, according to which the newly-inducted TMOs will get unpaid training or Rs5,000 monthly stipend whereas Young Doctors Association (YDA) thanked caretaker chief minister and health adviser for approving the new slots.

On Tuesday, a meeting was held with caretaker chief minister retired Justice Arshad Hussain in the chair wherein it was pointed out that there was urgent need for creation of additional slots for FCPS Part-II training in different specialties in Postgraduate Medical Institute.

The meeting was also attended by health adviser Dr Riaz Anwar, health secretary Mahmood Aslam Wazir and other relevant officials. The meeting was informed that the last date for admission to the said trainings was February 15, 2024 that could not be extended.

PDA flays unpaid training while YDA thanks govt for notification

The notification said that YDA president Dr Asfandyar Bittani stated that trainees were ready to avail the opportunity of training without being paid by the government in the shape of stipend and pledged to provide all legal documents in writing for the said commitment.

The representative of finance department pointed out that it was decided in the cabinet’s meeting held on December 11 last year that no additional stipendiary slots should be created in future. He said that the cabinet had allowed only 158 additional slots. He added that the same decision could be reverted only through another decision of cabinet.

The meeting agreed to create additional 480 slots of FCPS Part-II training stipendiary slots that should be either without any stipend or a maximum of Rs5,000 per month. The health secretary was directed to move a summary for creation of the slots as well as for relaxation of the earlier decision of the cabinet.

However, the notification has led to split among PDA and YDA as the former is opposing it while the latter is appreciating the government for issuing it.

“We are thankful to chief minister and health adviser for relaxing the earlier decision of cabinet and creation of new slots,” YDA president Dr Asfandyar Bittani told Dawn.

He said that College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan (CPSP) did not allow unpaid training. He said that finance department was reluctant to create further slots because of financial crunch. He added that last date was nearing and they had to save careers of 480 aspirants for specialisation in different disciplines.

“Later on a committee comprising representatives of health, finance and establishment department will decide financial implications and packages for these TMOs,” he said.

However, PDA president Dr Amir Taj Khan termed the move shameful. “Health advisor is a doctor by profession and he understands financial problems of junior doctors. TMOs are demanding induction which is their basic right, but they’ve been kept in the dark until completion of tenure of health adviser,” he said.

He said that it would create problems for TMOs as they were forced to sign a bond on stamp paper stating that they won’t demand any stipend in the future. “It means they will undergo unpaid training for four to five years and will not even challenge it in a court of law,” he added.

“The second issue will arise during the registration process as CPSP doesn’t accept unpaid training. On one hand, government is instructing PGMI to implement this order, and on the other it has been linked with the cabinet’s approval. Tenure of the interim government has almost ended and there will not be any agenda-based cabinet meetings in near future,” said Mr Khan.

Published in Dawn, February 14th, 2024