(Publish from Houston Texas USA)
(By Muhammad Mansoor Mumtaz, Lahore)
The President of the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA), Professor Dr. Shahid Malik, has demanded strict departmental action against the District Accounts Officers of Layyah and Dera Ghazi Khan, stating that both officers are illegally making deductions from the allowances of government doctors without any lawful authority. As a result, the salaries of many medical officers serving in these districts have been severely affected.
He said that by arbitrarily deducting approved and legitimate allowances, doctors are being paid only fifty to sixty thousand rupees per month, which is a clear violation of the fundamental rights guaranteed under the Constitution of Pakistan. This illegal action has created serious unrest among doctors and is having a negative impact on the provincial healthcare system.
Professor Shahid Malik further stated that a single bench of the Lahore High Court, Justice Sajid Mahmood Sethi, has already issued clear and written orders directing that no deductions be made from the allowances of government doctors. Despite this, the District Accounts Officers of Layyah and Dera Ghazi Khan continue to ignore court orders and persist with illegal deductions.
He said that this act is not only an attack on the fundamental rights of doctors but also a blatant violation of the orders of the High Court and falls under the ambit of contempt of court. Therefore, the Pakistan Medical Association is filing a contempt of court petition against the concerned accounts officers.
The PMA President demanded that the Accountant General Punjab and the Director General Audit Punjab immediately suspend both District Accounts Officers, stop their salaries, and initiate strict departmental action against them, so that no accounts officer in the future dares to engage in such illegal practices.
He warned that if the legitimate allowances of doctors are not restored immediately and court orders are not implemented, the Pakistan Medical Association will be compelled to adopt all legal and constitutional options, including protest, and the responsibility for the consequences will rest entirely with the concerned authorities.
