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Medics to get extra marks for distant service

By Asif Chaudhry 2015-05-28
LAHORE: A health department committee that had floated several proposals to fill primary healthcare facilities in Punjab finally agreed on Wednesday to a scheme under which postgraduate trainees will be awarded additional marks as a `reward` while beinginductedforservingatfar-Rung government hospitals for two years.

According to the laid down criteria for selection of doctors for postgraduate training at teaching hospitals, 60 marks will are awarded for academic qualification and 25 for an interview to qualify for a certain post. The committee decided to attract doctors by allocating additional marks to fill vacant posts. Another scheme that was shared by the health department involved offering financial incentives from Rs50,000 to Rs150,000, but bore no fruit.

The development came at a meeting headed by Punjab Director General (Health) Dr Zahid Pervaiz at the Punjab Directorate of Health Services on Wednesday.

Attended by representatives of the health department, medical teachers and officials of the Directorate of Health Services, the meeting discussed the issue and gave its nod to adoption of the new plan declaring that 15 out of the total 25 marks forinterviews will be awarded to the doctors who wanted to join primary care health facilities.

The meeting also shared statistics to sensitise officials, which presented an alarming situation of vacant positions at primary, secondary and tertiary care hospitals of Punjab.

According to the data, the health department had sanctioned posts of one medical of ficer (MO) each at 2,480 basic health units (BHUs), and one each of MO, senior medical officer (SMO), woman me dical officer (WMO) and dentalsurgeon at each ofthe 301 rural health centres (RHCs). There are 3,148 seats at 17 public medical and three dental colleges of Punjab and 3,200 at 28 private medical colleges.

The meeting was further informed that approximately 40pc of all posts mentioned above were vacant at BHUs and RHCs of Punjab, which meant approx 1,375 doctors were required.

Out of the total 1,185 sanctioned posts of MOs and WMOs at tehsil headquarter hospitals, 472 were vacant.

Similarly, out of the total 1,883 sanctioned posts of MOs and WMOs at district headquarter hospitals, 467 were vacant.

In the wake of these statistics, Saturday`s meeting gave final shape to a scheme of dispatching fresh doctors to hospitals in rural areas by awarding them additional marks. The new pro-posal, however, made it optional for the young medics.

According to the decision taken by the meeting, doctors willing to opt for a BHU will get 10 additional marks for Erst-year service and Eve against second year. Similarly, he/she will be awarded six marl(s each for first and second year of service at RHC, while five marks each for a THQ for first and second year. Whereas for the district headquarters hospital (DHQ), a doctor will get three marks each for both year`s service.

Another proposal floated during the meeting suggested that services of all fresh graduates be made compulsory for a year at primary care health facilities immediately after house job.

In another scheme, it was proposed that instead of one-year service, a compulsory four-month rotation of fresh graduates should be ensured at primary care health facilities. According to another proposal, an optional sixmonth service at primary care health facilities could be offered to doctors any time after completion of their house job. However, the service shall be made mandatory for any doctor before entering a postgraduate programme.

`Instead of compulsory one-year service after house job, amendments in service rules may be made for one-year mandatory service in BS-17 at BHUs and mandatory one-year service in BS-18 at RHCs for promotion to next grade, irrespective of whether the ofhcerpossesses any postgraduate qualification,` offi-cials shared another proposal.

The remaining schemes were however left pending by health department officials mainly fearing reaction by the medical community leading to protests against the Punjab government.

Currently, there was no legal authority to enforce such a decision,the ofhcials said.

In future, the number of vacant positions could decrease. Thus, all fresh graduates might not be adjusted against vacant posts. Consequently, salary issues could arise, they said.

Another demerit was that the government could face litigation from the Pakistan Medical Association and Young Doctors Association if the schemes suggesting compulsory service were implemented as proposed by the committee.