ISLAMABAD: As many as 16 doctors at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) appointed under the Medical Teaching Institution (MTI) have been working without salaries for the past seven months, forcing two more to quit their jobs in July this year.

The two doctors were the latest to quit due to the non-payment of salaries, saying it was impossible for them to work at the hospital without salaries. 109 nurses have already been laid off at the hospital. In light of the financial crunch, these doctors have asked the president and the prime minister to intervene for the payment of their dues.

During the PTI government, MTI was introduced despite the reservations of the hospital staff. Eventually, over 200 employees, including 44 professors, associate professors, assistant professors and casualty medical officers, 168 charge nurses, and six members of the management committee, were appointed during the tenure of MTI.

However, after the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) government repealed the MTI act, the employees continued to work at Pims and subsequently their contracts were extended till December 2023. They also approached the Islamabad High Court earlier this and obtained a stay order against possible lay-offs.

A doctor on the condition of anonymity said they had not been paid since Jan 2024. “We were appointed under the MTI [law] and a number of doctors left their jobs to join Pims. Later, the MTI Act was repealed by the PDM government but we were allowed to continue working here,” he said, adding that their case was being heard in the high court but they were not being paid by the hospital.

“The fact is that the management has been trying to force us to quit our job,” he claimed. “This month two more doctors i.e. Dr Adnan and Dr Zainab resigned as they could not work anymore without a salary,” he said. A spokesperson for the health ministry refused to comment on the issue and said the matter was sub-judice.

It is worth mentioning that in November 2020, then-president Dr Alvi promulgated the MTI Ordinance under which the Pims was to be run through a board of governors (BoG). The members were appointed and notified by the health ministry on the recommendation of a search and nomination council.

Even though employees protested against the ordinance, it sailed through parliament and subsequently some appointments were made under the MTI Act 2021.

The PDM government passed the MTI Repeal Bill and sent it to the president to get his nod but he returned it asking the government to reconsider it.

Eventually, the bill was tabled in a joint session of parliament where it was passed. The bill was again passed on December 20, 2022, in a joint sitting of the parliament house and employees, who were appointed regular employees under MTI, lost their status.

Published in Dawn, August 1st, 2024