JPMC doctors protest over three months of unpaid salaries

KARACHI: Young doctors at the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) staged a protest on Thursday against the non-payment of their salaries for the past three months, demanding that the outstanding dues be cleared immediately.

The doctors gathered outside the hospital’s Outpatient Department and raised slogans against the administration and provincial authorities. They said they had continued performing their medical duties despite going without salaries for several months.

The protesting doctors expressed frustration over what they described as repeated shifting of responsibility between the hospital administration and the Sindh government. They said the hospital had directed them to approach the provincial authorities, while government officials referred the matter back to the hospital.

The salary payments were disrupted after the Sindh government introduced a new mechanism for paying house officers in May. Under the revised system, salaries were to be transferred directly into doctors’ bank accounts instead of being distributed by hospitals through cheques.

Officials said the new payment procedure required additional documentation, including copies of doctors’ identity cards and records of previous payments. The required information was submitted to the Sindh Accountant General’s office, but the process was delayed over further documentation requirements.

Sindh Young Doctors Association President Dr Shahid Awan warned that the doctors could expand their protest if their salaries were not released within the next few days. He said demonstrations could be held outside the hospital administration block and at other locations.

Awan called for the immediate clearance of all pending salaries, saying doctors should not be made to suffer because of administrative or procedural issues between government departments.

The doctors also demanded an increase in their salaries, claiming that their pay had remained unchanged since 2020 despite rising living costs and professional responsibilities.

The Sindh Health Department had earlier rejected allegations of negligence by the hospital administration. It attributed the delay to the implementation of the new direct-payment system and the process of establishing vendor accounts with the Accountant General’s office.

According to the department, JPMC management had submitted the required forms, identity documents and previous payment records within the prescribed period. However, additional information was later sought as part of the new payment mechanism, resulting in further delays.