GKMCS staff demands HPA and other incentives

F.P. Report

PESHAWAR: Teaching staffs of Gajju Khan Medical College Swabi have expressed serious concern over the non-provision of health provision of health professional allowance, other incentives and warned to launch protest campaign against the government if demands not met.

Speaking at a press conference at Peshawar Press Club the other day the GKMCS Teachers Association President Dr Amjad Mehboob said that the government had announced health professional allowance (HPA) for general and administration cadres, but the teachers of GKMC Swabi and Saidu Medical College Swat had been kept deprived of the incentives.

Dr Amjad Mehboob said that the duties of medical staffs had been made essential in far-flung areas of the province under the health policy to ensure best healthcare facilities to poor patients at their doorsteps.

He informed that around 200 teaching and administrative sttaf members of GKMC Swabi had been kept deprived of the unjust policy of the provincial government, which had created serious unrest among them.

Flanked by the association office bearers, Dr Alamgir Khan, Prof Dr Aminul Haq, Prof Dr Ishtiaq, Dr Asif Kamal, Dr Ibrar Khan, Dr Raza, and others, he said that the health professional allowance and special incentive package had been mentioned in the recruitment advertisement in Gajju Khan Medical College Swabi but the promise was not fulfilled.

So, he said that nearly 90 to 95 senior and junior teaching and medical staffs had joined the GKMC by quitting other medical institutions. He said the salary package and other incentives of senior teaching of GKMC was not sufficient as offered to a new medical officer at any health facility in the province.

Therefore, he asked the provincial government and health authorities to stop discrimination with teaching staffs of GKMC and SMC Swat, and bring uniformity in the policy.

Dr Amjid said that despite the assurance of the Speaker Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, Asad Qaiser and Health Minister Shahram Khan Tarakai, the provincial government didn’t take any measures to ensure the health professional allowance of the teaching staffs of GKMC and SMC Swat.

He also regretted that a summary had been moved by the health authorities to chief minister pertaining to the health profession allowance, which was rejected twice.

He demanded of the provincial government to accept their legitimate demand, otherwise they would compel to start protest campaign from next week.