Fixed salary doctors at KP DHQs unpaid since last year, association demands immediate release of dues
PESHAWAR:
Doctors, dental surgeons and specialists employed on fixed salary contracts at various District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospitals in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa have not received their salaries for the past five months, plunging them into severe financial distress.
These doctors, including those in less attractive specialties such as pathology, radiology and anesthesiology, were hired to address a long-standing shortage of provincial health facilities. The government had earlier announced attractive pay packages and incentives to encourage specialists to serve in remote and underserved DHQ hospitals, where attracting qualified staff had been an ongoing challenge.
According to sources, last year the Health Ministry recruited staff to fill vacancies across several districts. In a key initiative, 115 posts for Grade-17 Medical Officers were advertised, with placements made at facilities including DHQ Lakki Marwat, DHQ Karak, DHQ Landi Kotal, DHQ Upper Dir, DHQ Charsadda and DHQ Battagram. In addition, 21 posts in pathology, radiology and anesthesiology were filled under non-permanent consultant scheme for non-attractive specialties at selected DHQs including Mardan, Battagram, Haripur and Upper Dir.
Furthermore, 30 specialist doctor posts in grade-18 on fixed salary were created in areas such as pediatric surgery, neurology, pulmonary, cardiology, ophthalmology, general medicine, ENT, gynaecology, dermatology and nephrology at DHQ in Upper Dir, Haripur, Mardan, Charsadda, Battagram, and Land Kotagram.
The fixed pay structure promised competitive compensation ranging from Rs170,000 to Rs400,000 per month depending on grade and specialty, with dedicated budgets allocated to hospitals for these payments.
Despite these assurances, the doctors have gone unpaid since the end of last year. The Provincial Doctors Association has formally approached the Ministry of Health demanding the immediate release of the outstanding salaries.
In a strongly worded statement, the association emphasized that the doctors were selected strictly on merit through rigorous examinations and interviews. “We chose this profession not just for employment, but with a solemn commitment to protect patients’ lives, alleviate their suffering and honor their trust,” the statement read.
The doctors highlighted the irony of their situation in the middle of Ramzan, a month that symbolizes patience and justice. “We stand in emergency situations in hospitals, administer life support in intensive care units and spend hours in operating theatres. A doctor who is on duty after sehri and stays busy in emergencies until iftar crumbles under financial pressure from within,” they said.
The association emphasized that although they appear strong, they are also human. “We don’t want to strike or abandon patients, that idea is unthinkable. It’s not just about a few months’ salary; it’s a question of trust, dignity and the future of the profession.”
They warned that ignoring the problem could discourage young doctors from seeing medicine as a service, instead of seeing it as a symbol of uncertainty. “A robust and respectable health system is only possible when its pillars, the doctors themselves, are safe.”
