FAISALABAD, Feb 6 Though the government has fixed Rs22,500 monthly stipend for postgraduate trainee doctors serving at teaching hospitals of the province, the administrations of Allied Hospital and District Headquarters Hospital have obtained undertaking from trainee doctors that they will not demand any salary or stipend, it's learnt.

FCPS part-II fellows are the trainee doctors at both hospitals, as training is mandatory for them for specialisation in various fields, including anaes- thesia, otorhinolaryngology, paediatrics, diagnostic radiology, pathology, family medicine, psychiatry, medicine & allied, surgery & allied, obstetrics & gynae- cology, community medicine, ophthalmology and phys- ical medicine & rehabilitation.

Sources said the trainees were made part of both institutions on the instructions of Punjab Medical College Principal Dr Riaz Hussain, who is also the chief executive officer of these hospitals.

The administrations of these hospitals set conditions to restrain the trainee doctors from demanding any stipend.

Documents available with Dawn show the trainee doctors submitted affidavits to these hospitals on the instructions of administrations, agreeing that they will not claim stipend (though approved by the government). “He/she will be governed to the rules and regulations issued by the competent authority from time to time.

“No private practice will be allowed.

“You will get accommodations in doctors' hostel under the existing rules subject to availability.”

The trainee doctors are not given day offs, however, casual leave and leave on medical grounds is admissible. They are not offered any medical charges.

The hospital administrations have restrained the trainee doctors from engaging in any government, semi government or private service and receiving any type of remuneration from any private authority.

Ironically, 90 per cent of the patients at both institutions are being handled by these trainee doctors and house officers.

Under the restrictions, 31 doctors are working without stipend at Allied Hospital and District Headquarters Hospitals for the last six months.

As many as 28 seats of trainee doctors are vacant in both institutions, but the trainee doctors are not being accommodated.

Sources said a group of trainee doctors met Dr Hussain to seek stipend and appointment to vacant seats, but he said he had asked the Punjab government to approve more seats at these hospitals and a reply was awaited.

“Despite getting a tough training and devoting several hours for patients, we are getting nothing at the end of the month,” says a trainee doctor.

Allied Hospital Medical Superintendent Dr Bashir Ahmed said the trainee doctors were engaged by these hospital on their own requests.

He said the government had been releasing budget for 168 doctors at the Allied and 59 doctors at DHQ Hospital and added that both institutions could not arrange funds for more trainee doctors.

He said some students who passed FCPS part-I met the principal and said that they preferred practical training to stipend because of time limit.

Dr Hussain however said the trainee doctors would be getting salary from next month.

He said the administrations of these hospitals had demanded affidavits from the trainee doctors to avoid audit objections.