ISLAMABAD: National Institute of Rehabilitative Medicine (NIRM) has been functioning without a permanent head for almost a decade.

However, spokesperson for Ministry of National Health Services (NHS) Sajid Shah expressed the hope that NIRM would soon get a permanent head the present government prioritised the health sector.

NIRM provides excellent services to people who lose their limbs due to different reasons and those who need speech therapy.

The hospital, located in Sector G-8, has highly qualified doctors who place artificial limbs to people but unfortunately the hospital could not get a permanent head during the last one decade.

A doctor of the hospital, requesting anonymity, said the hospital was continuously suffering because of absence of permanent executive director.

`Mostly Basic Pay Scale (BPS) 19 officers were appointed at the BPS-20 seat and actingcharge was given to them,` he said.

He said Dr Fazale Mola was appointed as acting executive director twice. Similarly, Dr Zahid Larik and Dr Shaista Habibullah remained acting executive directors.

`Currently, Dr Shabana Saleem, who is a BPS20 officer, has been assigned additional charge of the post of executive director which is extended after every three months. She is working as acting head for the last two years, he said.

He said the absence of permanent head was in favour of the ministry as acting head cannot take decisions without the consent of the ministry but it badly affected the performance of the hospital and created administrative issues.

`In February 2020, as many as 45 employees were appointed at NIRM in violation of rules and they were paid over Rs3.2 million since then, though most of them are ghost employees,` he said.

`The then acting executive director Dr Shaista Habibullah raised the issue in the senate standing committee on health,` the doctor said.In response to her complaint, the then Secretary NHS Dr Allah Bakhsh Malik had assured to take action against the ghost employees but later Dr Habibullah was removed,` he said.

`As there is no permanent head so blue eyed staff gets out of turn promotions and those who serve tirelessly are ignored. Unfortunately, the Ministry of NHS has never taken any action and never tried to address grievances of staff, he said.

President of NIRM Young Doctors Association Dr Yousuf Ali Khan, while talkingto Dawn, said charge of the Deputy Director Services has been given to a physiotherapist. I have raised voice against it as a physiotherapist cannot get the administrative post but to no avail,` he said.