Islamabad:The paramedical staff of federal government hospitals and institutions celebrated approval of their new service structure by organising a simple ceremony at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) here on Monday.
The government has issued a notification in this regard with the approval of the president. Federal Health Secretary Nargis Faiz Sethi (also cabinet secretary), who played a decisive role in getting the service structure approved by the president and prime minister, was invited to the event but she could not turn up due to her pressing engagements.
Addressing the ceremony as chief guest, PIMS Executive-Director Dr. Mahmood Jamal, while highlighting the role of paramedics in health delivery services, said that they deserved promotion to the next basic pay scales through the new service structure. He praised the paramedical staff for performing their duties for emergency patients and remaining peaceful throughout their protest movement.

Speaking on the occasion, representatives of the paramedical staff — Joseph Paul and Muhammad Anas — thanked the president, prime minister, health secretary and the PIMS management in addition to administrations of other hospitals and institutions for giving due right to the paramedics. They said that the health secretary did a miracle in getting the service structure approved within one week.

As many as 560 new vacancies in BPS 12, 14, 16 and 17 have been created under the new service structure to be implemented at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, Federal Government Polyclinic, T B Hospital, Rawalpindi, National Institute of the Handicapped and the National Institute of Health (NIH).

A total of 96 paramedics, currently in BPS 9, would be promoted to BPS-17, 135 to BPS-16, 141 to BPS-14 and 188 to BPS-12 on the basis of their seniority.The news