ISLAMABAD: Senate Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat on Monday directed the Ministry of National Health Services (NHS) to take steps for regularisation of around 100 contractual employees at different hospitals of the federal capital.

The committee, presided over by Senator Talha Mehmood, was discussing a number of issues including regularisation of contractual employees at Cardiac Centre of Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims).

Dr Mohammad Faisal, who has been working on contract basis at Pims, said that he and other doctors had been working at the hospital for the last 15 years and even in 2015, when project of cardiac canter was concluded, they (doctors) were requested by the management to continue working for the cardiac centre.`Now we are being told that we should appear in the exam of Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC) which is not fair. It is being said that only five additional marks will be given to doctors working on contract.

`After 15 years we have forgot whatever we had read and may not give answers to questions in exams. Our Executive Director Dr Raja Amjad Mehmood has been supporting us and pleading our case for regularisation,` he said.

Senator Rubina Khalid asked the health ministry officials whether a written assurance had been given to the doctors that they would be regularised, they replied in negative.

Dr Faisal, however, said they had been informed in writing that they would be regularised at the earliest.

`Though the hospital management supported us, defunct Capital Administration and Development Division created hurdles inourregularisadon.`That is why not only our three years salaries could be released but Fawad Hasan Fawad, the then principal secretary of prime minister, refused to regularise us, he said.

He said that finally cardiac centre was about to close due to which former Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar took suo motu notice and they were paid salaries.

Representative of ministry informed the senate committee that there were around 100 contractual employees who were working in dif ferent hospitals of the federal capital.

The committee chairman directed the ministry to play role for the regularisation of the doctors/employees and not to remove them till finalisation of issue in the standing committee.

Polyclinic strike As per announcement, nursing staff of the Polyclinic on Monday closed the`That is why not only our three years salaries could be released but Fawad Hasan Fawad, the then principal secretary of prime minister, refused to regularise us, he said.

He said that finally cardiac centre was about to close due to which former Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar took suo motu notice and they were paid salaries.

Representative of ministry informed the senate committee that there were around 100 contractual employees who were working in dif ferent hospitals of the federal capital.

The committee chairman directed the ministry to play role for the regularisation of the doctors/employees and not to remove them till finalisation of issue in the standing committee.

Polyclinic strike As per announcement, nursing staff of the Polyclinic on Monday closed theOutpatient Departments rendering a large number of patients stranded.

Nursing staff not only closed OPDs but also chanted slogans against the possible attempts to privatise the hospitals just like it has been done in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

However, Parliamentary Secretary of Ministry of National Health Services (NHS) Dr Nausheen Hamid reached there and gave assurance to the employees that their grievances would be addressed It was decided that a meeting would be held with a competent authority of Ministry of NHS due to which employees called off their strike for three days.

Executive Director Polyclinic Dr Shahid Hanif, while talking to Dawn, expressed the hope that the employees would not suffer any more.

While replying to a question, he said the hospital administration would not change OPD timings during Ramazan.