SWABI: Doctors and paramedics on Monday demanded reversal of the decision to turn public sector hospitals into Medical Teaching Institutions (MTIs).

Speaking at a meeting held here on Monday, they said the previous Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government had introduced MTIs in the name of reforms in the health sector, but failed to provide the promised facilities in hospitals.

Under the health sector reforms, Bacha Khan Hospital Complex, Shahmansoor, District Headquarters Hospital and Tehsil Headquarters Hospitals, Chota Lahor and Topi, have been made MTIs.

They claimed that the MTIs had placed extra financial burden on the patients, with the employees often not paid salary on time, forcing them to come onto the roads.

SALARY INCREASE SOUGHT: The government employees and pensioners on Monday expressed the hope that despite facing financial crunch, theKhyber Pakhtunkhwa government would increase the salaries and pensions as per the federal budgetary proposals keeping in view the prevailing re cord inflation.

The KP caretaker government will present its budget on Tuesday (today).

Amjid Khan, provincial general secretary of Malgary Ustazan, told mediapersons it had never happened in the past that the proposals of the federal government about salary in the annual budget and pension were not upheld by the provincial governments.

Ijaz Khan, general secretary of allteachers association, said the caretaker provincial government should follow the federal and Sindh governments in increasing the salary and pension of public sector employees.

Waris Khan, Swabi president of All Pakistan Pensioners Association, said pensioners feared the provincial government won`t increase their pensions like the federal and Sindh governments did due to economic difficulties. Correspondent