LARKANA, Nov 5: The district government is not giving different types of allowances to 156 doctors who are eligible for getting allowances of non-practicing, rural incentive, hardship and others, according to EDO (health) Dr Abdul Fatah Bughio.

Dr Hafiz Gulab Morio and Dr Shah Mohammed Mugheri said that Sindh government sanctioned on July 20 this year additional pay allowance for medical officers in BPS-17 (general cadre and dentist) at the rate of Rs15,000 per month and Rs10,000 per month for doctors in BPS-18, 19 and 20 (general cadre, specialist, dental surgeon).

They cited a letter carrying signature of provincial additional secretary of finance Mohammed Abid Qureshi, which confirmed the additional pay allowances for doctors in non-teaching field.

Another letter signed by the same official outlined the allowances and said non-practicing allowance had been increased from Rs500 per month to Rs4,000 for doctors in BPS-17 and 18 and from Rs700 per month to Rs6,000 for doctors in BPS-19 and BPS-20, they said.

Rural incentive allowance at the rate of Rs6,000 per month for doctors in BPS-17 and 18 and Rs8,000 per month for doctors in BPS-19 and 20 has been given to doctors working in health facilities falling outside the municipal limits of district headquarters like basic health units, rural health centres, dispensaries and taluka headquarter hospitals.

Hard work allowance at the rate of Rs6,000 per month has been granted to doctors treating patients of notified infections (tuberculosis and swine flu etc).

Casualty allowance at the rate of Rs6,000 per month has been given to casualty medical officers, senior casualty medical officers serving in the casualty wards and trauma centres.

A group of doctors has sent an application to the district coordination officer of Larkana, EDO (finance), EDO (health) and district accounts officer, calling for issuance of the enhanced allowances.

They said that doctors in Jacobabad, Qambar-Shahdadkot, Shikarpur, Sukkur, Hyderabad, Matiari, Karachi and Sukkur were drawing these benefits but they were denied the allowances.

Dr Sharif Pirzado said that copies of the application had also been faxed to Chief Justice of Pakistan, chief secretary and heath secretary of Sindh.

He alleged the district accounts officer of Larkana, Altaf Mangi, had showed favouritism in granting allowances to a handful doctors. A doctor was erroneously issued the allowances but the amount was immediately recovered from him, he said.

He said that a one-line budget for the district administration was sent by Sindh government the National Bank account and to the district treasury and the DCO was the principal account officer, who distributed the budget among all departments.

He said the DCO had written a letter to the department of finance asking for the enhanced budget for the payment of allowances. The finance department had endorsed the request and hopefully the amount would be released soon, he said.

He said he was optimistic the doctors eligible for the allowances would get the amount after Eid.