Regularisation after three years: Punjab offers three-year contract to ad hoc nurses

As the ad hoc nurses continued their sit-in, in front of the Punjab Assembly on 7th day, the Punjab government offered them three- year contract promising to regularise their services after three years. Talking to Business Recorder here Sunday evening an official of the Health department said the government has made a generous offer to more than 2800 nurses, employed on ad hoc basis but some elements wanted to play politics on this issue.
He said the government is conscious of the problems of the patients in the hospitals and taking all measures to normalise the situation. Meanwhile Advisor to Chief Minister on Health, Khawaja Salman Rafique, has said that it is clear order of the Chief Minister Punjab, Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif, that no nurse should be rendered jobless and a legal way should be adopted for regularising all ad-hoc nurses.
On the orders of the Chief Minister, the government has given a contract of three years to 2800 ad hoc nurses working in government hospitals of the province and after that they will be regularised. He said this on Sunday addressing a function of distributing three years contracts to nurses working on ad-hoc basis in Lahore General Hospital and Mayo Hospital.
Copies of notification were distributed among 67 nurses of Lahore General Hospital. Parliamentary Secretary Health, Khawaja Imran Nazir, Secretary Health Babar Hayat Tarar, DG Health Dr. Zahid Pervaiz, Principal PGMI Prof Anjum Habib Vohra, MS Dr. Ghulam Sabir and other officers were present on the occasion.
Khawaja Salman Rafique said that under the service rules, ad hoc nurses cannot be regularised due to which Health Department, in consultation with other departments, has adopted a legal and middle way which took few days.
He said that the Chief Minister Punjab and his entire team were worried about the nurses holding sit-in as they are daughters of the nation.
He said that 1500 vacancies are being created for giving promotion to regular nurses to next grade and their other problems have also been resolved.
Khawaja Imran Nazir and Secretary Health Babar Hayat Tarar said that a way has been adopted for regularising the nurses and after distribution of notification the nurses will have to believe that government wants to regularise them.
He said that the nurses who have received the orders would convince their colleagues as well. A nurse, Sumaira of General Hospital, thanked the Chief Minister on fulfilling his promise.
Business Recorder has learnt that the ad hoc nurses have been divided in two groups; majority of the striking nurses has accepted the offer whereas a group is still insisting on regularisation of their services instead of contract employment.