LARKANA:As many as 76 doctors, male and female staff nurses appointed on A 89-day contract basis by District Health Officer (DHO), Larkana and Sindh Health Department, to perform emergency duties at COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and High Dependency Unit (HDU) of Chandka Medical College Hospital, have not yet been paid their fixed salaries since last two and four months, respectively.
It was learnt here reliably on Tuesday that recently posted DHO Dr Aijaz Ahmed Shaikh, confirmed the news while talking to this scribe and said that funds had been released but not yet received by the District Accounts Office (DAO) here due to which fixed salaries of those contract medics and nurses had been delayed.
But another credible source claimed that the DHO had not been given Drawing and Disbursing Officers’ (DDO) powers as yet because he has recently been promoted to BPS-19 after which he was posted to look after the charge of the post of BPS-20. Dr Aijaz said that DAO told him that a letter was yet to be received from Accountant General, Karachi after which salaries will be disbursed. He disclosed all contract appointees for COVID-19 duties have not yet been disbursed their fixed salaries across the province.
He said he was unaware as to how many doctors and nurses had been appointed in Larkana on contract as he was new. When the affected doctors were asked as to why they have not so far been paid their monthly salaries despite their posting at emergency coronavirus pandemic ICU, they said that they were appointed on a 89-day contract at Rs100,000 fixed monthly salary and they joined to serve the ailing masses but they had not been paid since last two months which had annoyed them and created unrest among their families because Eidul Azha was approaching fast.
They said 38 doctors and 38 male and female staff nurses were recruited on a 89-day contract and all of them were discharging their duties without payment. They said monthly fixed salary of nurses each was Rs60,000 and they had not been paid since last three and four month which was due as well which had exposed the inefficiency and working of provincial health department. They said out of 38 doctors, 32 had not been paid since last two months and eight had joined recently.
Contract male and female nurses include Asif Lashari, Ateequr Rahman, Wajid Kandhro, Wajid Kalhoro and others whereas doctors include Ihsan Bugti, Zafar Tunio, Osama, Hajra and others. They have demanded payment of their salaries well on time so that they could be able to perform their duties more efficiently and diligently for the betterment of the affected ailing people.