F.P. Report
SWABI: Teachers of Gajju Medical College Swabi have announced on Tuesday that they would boycott the classes and other health engagements from Wednesday (today) because Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf-led Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has failed to resolve their confronting problems.
Sources in the college said that the call of the boycott has been given by Gajju Medical College Teachers Association (GMCA) who had used all their available energy but the provincial government did not take interest in solution of their problems. Since the establishment of the college in 2016, it was the first time that the teachers would boycott the classes.
The main demand of the of the teachers was health professional allowance (HPA) which was announced by the government last year as incentive, aiming to improve the ailing community care in public sector hospitals. Sources said that the teachers have held a wide-ranging meeting in which the policy of the government was thoroughly discussed while adopting their new line of action to fight for their rights. The teachers declared that delaying in giving HPA was not acceptable to them. The government has forced them to announce their boycott of the classes and other health engagements.
There would no OPD (outdoor patients) service, n medical check of the patients, other health services and only the emergency would be tackled by doctors in Bacha Khan Medical Complex, Shahmansoor. They said that despite passing of eight months of the college teachers have remained deprive of the HPA. A week back they appealed to the government but no one gave head to their demand, said the teachers.
The staff of other public sector colleges and hospitals had been received the HPA from last year but only Gajju Medical College teachers have remained deprived of the incentive due to unknown reasons. “Because of HPA salary of a professor in grade 20 with 27 years of government service less than a grade 17 medical officer appointed yesterday,” said a professor when contacted.
They said that owing to negligence of the government senior professors and other staff had tendered resignation, posing a grave threat to the future of the college where students get medical education. They said that till date the college has not been recognized by Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC), saying it was responsibility of the government to play its due role and save future of both college and students.
The teachers expressed deep anguish that despite the fact that provincial health minister Shahram Khan Tarakai and Asad Qaisar, speaker of KP assembly belong to district but they failed to deliver. They said that the government would be responsible of the perturbed enjoinment and suffering of the patients.
Dr Asif Kamal, general secretary of GMCA said that they would continue their boycott of the classes and all other health services till meeting of their genuine demands by provincial government. “We have declared that boycott of the classes and stay away from other health services would continue till meeting of our demands,” he said. Meanwhile politicians belong to different political parties demanded that the government, especially the health minister should take immediate steps for resolving the problems of the teachers.
