ISLAMABAD: President Arif Alvi has upheld the orders of the federal ombudsman to grant coronavirus health risk allowance to 37 employees of the National Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine (NIRM) and Federal Government Services Hospital (FGSH) who have been deprived of the money after being declared members of non-clinical staff.
The president gave this decision while rejecting a representation of the Ministry of National Health Services against the order of the ombudsman recommending it to move a fresh summary to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) for the grant of allowance.
The president in his decision observed that in August last, the ministry had provided funds to federal healthcare institutions to grant allowance to clinical staff, and that the Post Graduate Medical Institute in Islamabad was also among the beneficiaries.
He observed that in 2020, all employees were given the allowance, however, in 2021, 37 members of the staff were deprived of the allowance as being declared non-clinical.
He noted that the executive director of the hospital had recommended the ministry to grant the allowance to the said people as all clinical and non-clinical staff worked in the same risky environment and therefore were equally vulnerable and exposed to disease without any exception.
The president, in his decision, further highlighted it was a reality that both clinical and non-clinical employees in the hospital were vulnerable and performing duties within the same premises and environment without any exception.
He rejected the ministry’s view the hospital staff had to work in a vulnerable environment usually, that it was the nature of their job, and that they were already drawing some exclusive allowances.
He also rejected the view that only the clinical staff were actively engaged by the hospital administration in various Covid-19 units during the pandemic.
The complainants had lodged a complaint with the ombudsman that during the Covid-19 pandemic, they kept on performing their duties despite their vulnerability and risk of lives on the directions of the heads of their departments.
According to them, the allowance was paid to a number of employees who performed the same duties as them but they were discriminated against by being declared as non-clinical staff.
Feeling aggrieved they approached the ombudsman who passed the orders to grant the allowance to the complainants.
The ministry then filed a representation to the president against the ombudsman’s decision. The president rejected the representation of the agency and upheld the orders as maladministration on behalf of the ministry was established on the above-mentioned grounds.
