GCDA announces four points agenda to solve the issue of Doctors

Lahore:The president General Cadre Doctors Association & Pakistan Medical Society Chairman Dr Masood sheikh said that the issue of doctors is not that the service structure is not present, but it has not been implemented in letter and spirit, and there needs correction in its implementation and also modification in the exiting four tier service structure and making it more doctors friendly.

He said that if the flaws in the exiting services structure are corrected then 13000 general cadre doctors who are waiting for their promotion from last 16-20 year will get its benefit and will be in a position to serve the nation with a new spirit. He was addressing the emergent meeting of general cadre doctors association on the current issue. Dr Masood sheikh said that unless the general cadre doctors who have been serving since last 15- 20 years are given their due promotion it will not be justified to induct a Medical officer in grade 18. He added that while increasing the salaries it should also be kept in mind that the increase in salary should be proportionate for different grades, not just giving more perks and privileges to the doctors who have recently joined their services.

GCDA president Dr Masood sheikh added that the solution to the doctors problem is by observing short term, middle term and long term planning, among the short terms are observing time scale promotion with rectification of undue delay in the past decade or so, correction of the seniority list by excluding those promoted to other cadres or seats reaffixed, and also issuance of a new four tier formula as has been issued for the lecturers and professors. The middle terms can me step wise enhancement of pay and allowances, and long term may be like residential flats & colonies with in the compound of the teaching hospitals, a combined transportation for the families etc. he added that these are the demands of the general cadre doctors who make up the majority of the health delivery system, and these should be taken at the top while considering the issues of the doctors.

Dr Masood sheikh said that said that we have charted out four points agenda for the General Cadre Doctors that will solve most of their problems.
The points are.

There should be a real time scale promotion for the general cadre doctors, which mean that like other services they should be promoted to grade 18 after a period of 7 years and then to 19 after a period of 12 years and to 20 after a period of 17 years respectively as is valid for other services. He said that any delay in the promotion of doctors from grade 18 to 19 or 20 should be rectified and they should be promoted with out delay. He added that any one that has collective worked for 12 years in grade 17 & 18 can be promoted to 19, and after 1 year if they fulfill the criteria of 17 years then they can be promoted to the scale of grade 20.

Reaffixing of the seat from grade 18-20: Many medical college and other health institutes have been added in the last 5-10 years in which hundreds of the post of grade 17 doctors have been created. Even as per existing four tier formula, there should be proportionate increase in the seat of grade 18, 19 and 20 which is called reaffixing of the seats, if this is done then many seats of grade 19 and 20 will be created and will help in promotion of the general cadre doctors.
3. New seniority list should be made: in the past weeks many doctors have been promoted to the level of assistant professor, and also to the specialist cadre and senior registrar, resultantly many seats are thus vacated, we demand that these seat should also be excluded from the seniority list of general cadre doctors, thus a new list should be made excluding the doctors promoted to other cadres and also taking into account the reaffixed seat.
4. A New proportion of the four tier formula: GCDA demanded that the government of the Punjab has notified a new recommendation for the demands of Punjab lecturer and professors association for modification of the existing four formula of 50:34:15: 1 into 42:36:19:3 in BS-17, 18, 19, & 20 with immediate effect, it will be highly appreciated if the four tier is converted into 5 tier service structure with 1 % coat for the grade 21 as well be included to the doctors or general cadre.

Dr Sheikh added that general cadre doctors are the back bone of the health delivery system, and there promotion will resultantly improve the level of the health care in whole of Punjab. Dr Arif, Dr Riaz, Dr Alia, Dr Shahid and others also spoke on the occasion.