DUHS doctors and staff face 50% salary cut amid COVID-19 pandemic

KARACHI: The Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS) has cut the salaries of all its employees including doctors by half, reported Geo News on Tuesday.

According to details, the teaching hospital’s professors, doctors and other staff were paid only half for the month of June.

The salaries were released after a delay of seven days.

Most of the DUHS professors work at the hospital and are at the front of the battle against the coronavirus.

Last week, the Punjab government said it had accepted the resignation of 48 doctors at teaching hospitals across Punjab, a notification said.

According to a notice by the Specialised Healthcare and Medical Education (SHCME) Department, dated June 27, those who stepped down had tendered in their resignations at various times this year.

Of the 48 to have resigned, 11 had handed in their resignation letters before Pakistan reported its first coronavirus case on February 26, 2020.

Among the doctors to have stepped down, 14 were from Lahore's Mayo Hospital, seven from Jinnah Hospital, six from Children Hospital, four from Teaching Hospital Dera Ghazi Khan and three from Lahore General Hospital.

Two medics each also quit at Allied Hospital Faisalabad, Sheikh Zayed Medical College (SZMC) Rahim Yar Khan, Government Nawaz Sharif Teaching Hospital Yakki Gate, and Services Hospital, Lahore.

In addition, the resignations of one doctor each at the Civil Hospital Bahawalpur; Lady Aitchison Hospital, Lahore; Government Kot Khawaja Saeed Teaching Hospital, Lahore; Government Teaching Hospital, Shahdara; and Government Mian Munshi DHQ Teaching Hospital, Lahore were accepted.

Wahab dismisses cut as 'technical issue'

Later in the day, Sindh government spokesperson Murtaza Wahab dismissed the cut in salaries as a "technical issue" which "has been sorted now".

"Entire salaries will be paid by Sindh government and necessary instructions have been issued. Thank you for highlighting this," Wahab said.