MUZAFFARABAD, March 20: The AJK finance department has at long last agreed to a special allowance for the doctors serving in the rural health facilities, it was learnt here on Thursday.

The AJK health department had worked out an attractive package for the doctors last May so as to overcome the shortage of medical practitioners in rural health centres but that was not okayed by the finance department on account of “scant financial resources”.

However, sources told Dawn, the minister for health and population welfare Dr Najeeb Naqi Khan did not give up and continued to vigorously pursue the case with the finance department and finally got it through. Mr Khan has himself earned a bachelors degree in medicine.

According to the new package, female medical officer (FMO) and dental surgeon in Tehsil Headquarters (THQ) Hospital and Rural Health Centre (RHC) would receive a special allowance of Rs12,000 per month (in additional to their regular salaries) whereas the male medical officers in THQ, RHC and BHU (Basic Health Unit) would receive a special allowance of Rs10,000 per month.

Specialists and medical superintendents, willing to serve in the THQs, would receive a special allowance of Rs10,000 per month.

However, sources said, gynaecologists, anaesthetists, paediatricians/neonatologists, FMO and MOs posted in THQ and getting MCH allowance, under the National Maternal Newborn and Child Health (NMNCH) Programme, would not be able to avail themselves of this package.

Similarly, the doctors on attachment would not benefit from this package as it would apply to only those who would perform duties at their original place of posting, the sources added.

The sources claimed that the medical students who were getting admission in the medical colleges on quota basis would have to serve the same district for at least one year after completion of their studies, which would enable them to obtain degrees from their respective institutions.

The health department was working on this proposal since long and was likely to settle it with the help of Pakistan Medical and Dental Council, sources said.