By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s President Dr Arif Alvi has upheld a decision of the federal ombudsman to grant Covid-health risk allowance to 37 employees of the Federal Government Services Hospital (FGSH) and the National Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine (NIRM).
The employees of both health facilities were deprived of the allowance declaring nonclinical staff earlier. The federal ombudsman had ordered to give the health risk allowance to the FGSH and NIRM employees. The Pakistani health department had challenged the federal ombudsman’s decision with the President’s Office.
Covid-health risk allowance
The president rejected the health ministry’s plea against the order of the federal ombudsman and asked the health ministry to move a fresh summary to the Prime Minister’s Office for the grant of allowance to the employees of the two health institutions.
The president also observed that in August 2021, funds were provided to the federal government hospitals to grant Covid-health risk allowance to the clinical staff. The staff of the Federal Government Hospital better known as Polyclinic was also among the beneficiaries.
The president said that in 2020, all employees were given Covid-risk allowance, however, in 2021, 37 employees were deprived of the allowance and declared non-clinical.
He noted that the Agency concerned recommended granting the risk allowance to the remaining 37 employees because all nonclinical and clinical staff were exposed to infection and were equally vulnerable without any exception.
The president further highlighted that it was a reality that both nonclinical and clinical workers in the hospital were vulnerable. They were performing duties within the same environment and premises without any discrimination, he said.
