On SC directives, PMDC orders stipend for private college students at par with govt stipend

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) has directed all private medical and dental colleges and teaching hospitals to ensure students on house jobs are paid the same as those in the public sector medical and dental colleges.

This was done in compliance with the Supreme Court’s written order by the former chief justice, Mian Saqib Nisar. Copies of the letter were also sent to federal and provincial health departments to ensure implementation.

Private Medical and Dental Institutions (Pami) General Secretary Khaqan Waheed in a statement said it was not possible to pay a stipend that is equal to that paid in government facilities and PAMI has decided to challenge the former chief justice’s decision in SC.

In June 2018, a doctor had approached the former chief justice while he was visiting different wards of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), and said she was doing her house job in the hospital but was not being paid.

Ex-CJP had directed private colleges are to provide students house jobs at their own hospitals, stipends before 10th of every month

The PIMS administration informed that the student was from a private medical college and was only doing her house job in PIMS and it was the responsibility of the private medical college to pay her a stipend.

Taking note of the situation the former chief justice directed that private medical colleges should pay students who do their house jobs in government hospitals.

A written directive was issued saying that private medical colleges should pay students a stipend equal to that paid by government hospitals.

Many private medical colleges do not have quality hospitals due to which medical students prefer to do their house jobs in government hospitals. And though private medical colleges are bound to pay a stipend to their students, they don’t.

The PMDC letter states that as per the directions of the apex court, private medical colleges are obliged to provide students with house jobs in their own respective hospitals and pay them as fresh doctors are being paid in public hospitals.

The stipend is to be paid by or before the 10th of every month.

In case of default in payment, the chief executive or heads of such private medical colleges will be held responsible for disregarding court orders.

The council has requested to comply with SC orders in letter and spirit.

According to a survey public sector medical colleges pay a stipend of Rs 50,000 a month to house job doctors but private medical colleges pay them between Rs 10,000 and Rs20,000.