KARACHI: Sindh Ombudsman Ajaz Ali Khan has directed the Principal of Karachi Medical and Dental College (KM and DC) to pay Rs45,000 per month stipend to BDS house job officers.
According to Ombudsman Sindh office’s document received by PPI, the Administrator KMC has also been directed to release the funds required by KM and DC) for payment of stipend including arrears to the BDS house job Officers.
The Chief Secretary Sindh and the Secretary Local Government and House Town Planning Department Sindh have also been directed to expedite the process of release of funds and take measures to end the discriminatory treatment with BDS house job officers on priority basis and to get rid of financial constraints faced by the KM and DC.
Such directives were issued on a complaint filed by Dr Ahmed Iqbal and 94 other BDS doctors of Batch-2021 thereby stating that Finance Department Sindh had notified payment of Rs45,000 per month stipend to House job officers, but no such amount was mentioned in their offer letters whereas it has been mentioned in the offer letters of MBBS doctors and alleged that amount of stipend was not being paid to them despite approaches to authorities concerned.
The complaint was admitted and taken up with Principal KM and DC, where from it has been reported that MBBS House Job Officers were being engaged and paid by Abbasi Shaheed Hospital which receive complete grant from KMC whereas the KM and DC does not receive sufficient funds from KMC as such BDS House Job Officers were being paid less than the MBBS House Job Officers and that is why no amount was mentioned in offer letters of BDS officers and that KM and DC has no objection in payment of Rs45,000 instead of Rs30,000 per month, if KMC released funds as per requirement of the college for which authorities concerned had already been approached.
Prof. Dr. Nargis Anjum, Principal, KM and DC and concerned officers of the college appeared before the Investigating officer for hearing and deposed in writing that stipend for four months has so far been released to BDS House Job Officers and for payment of remaining dues the matter was under process and KMC authorities were being continuously persuaded for release of funds in view of orders passed by Honourable High Court of Sindh in similar cases of House Job Officers.
She assured that differential arrears of BDS House Job Officers will be paid on receipt of funds from KMC. She also pointed out that matter regarding award of status of KM and DC as Metropolitan University was also placed in the meeting of Sindh Cabinet held in the last week and if it would be approved by the legislature, would help the management to overcome all such financial crises.
Ombudsman Sindh observed that KM and DC had been paying stipend to BDS officers at old rates though it has no authority to depart from the policy of Government of Sindh merely on its own convenience which is otherwise in complete disregard of other sister institutions’ treatment to its medical graduates where Finance Department’s circular dated 02.04.2019 was being implemented without any discrimination.
It has also been observed that KM and DC has failed to justify the skipping to mention the amount of stipend in the offer letters issued to BDS House Job Officers and even in the minutes of meeting of Selection Committee for dental house job at KM and DC held on 28.01.2022 and thus act of mal-administration has been established on the part of the Agency.