PESHAWAR: More than 500 medical officers recruited under the Accelerated Implementation Programme for merged districts have been awaiting their salaries for the last five months, according to sources.

The health department appointed 200 medical officers in April against the monthly package of Rs200,000 and posted them in merged districts to improve patient care in the region. Owing to shortage of doctors and absenteeism by medical staff in the hospitals of merged districts, patients could not get healthcare to a desired level.

In May, 300 more medics were employed as emergency medical officers on Rs300,000 salary per month because they had completed their FCPS Part-II training but like the medical officers, they have not received their salaries, according to sources.

Health Secretary Syed Imtiaz Hussain Shah told Dawn that he would check the matter and would ensure to release salaries to the medical officers at the earliest.

Health secretary says he will look into the matter

He said that the doctors appointed under the AIP were performing duty in merged districts due to which patients were benefitting from their services.

Another senior official said that the medical officers would get their arrears in the current week. “It takes time to verify the documents of all the appointees from their boards of intermediate and secondary education, Khyber Medical University and Pakistan Medical Commission. The process has almost been completed and their salaries would be given to them,” he added.

The medical officers said that they were providing healthcare to the people in hard and backward areas while doctors were unwilling to be posted there.

“It is very hard for us to find accommodation in merged districts but we are doing the jobs to serve the people and get money for our families.

So far, most of us are getting loans from friends and relatives and hope that our salaries would be released soon,” an emergency medical officer, posted in Khyber tribal district, told Dawn.

The lady doctors are the worst affected as they say that their families are concerned about their safety because they work away from their home districts.

“It is very difficult to work in merged districts but we have to earn for our families. We not only demand that the government give us our salaries but also regularise our services,” a lady medical officer told this scribe.

She said that the appointment process was fair as only 10 marks were reserved for interview and 90 for the academic qualification. “But now, we want salaries and regularisation,” she added.

The vice president of Provincial Doctors Association, Dr Sajjad Yousafzai, who is also affected by non-payment of salaries, said that the recruitment of 500 doctors had really strengthened health system in merged districts.

“Our colleagues have been facing harsh attitude of senior doctors, who are getting lesser salaries than them. The regular doctors are appointed from time to time and receive salaries under the regular system due to which they don’t have warmth towards us,” he said.

According to the contract, the medical officers appointed under AIP have fixed pay with non-transferable services. Their services can be terminated by the department anytime without assigning any reason. However, their services are extendable.

The health officials said that the services of some doctors were regularised and more would get permanent jobs in view of their good employment record.

The AIP has been approved by federal cabinet to recruit people in many departments and provide relief to the population of erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas after merger with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Published in Dawn, September 13th, 2021