Federal Doctors Demand Pay Raise, PIMS Sends Official Letter to Health Ministry

After members of parliament, now doctors serving in federal hospitals have stepped forward to demand a raise in their stipends and salaries. In response to the growing discontent among young doctors, the management of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) has officially written to the Ministry of National Health Services.

At the request of the Young Doctors Association (YDA), PIMS Executive Director Professor Dr. Imran Sikandar sent a letter to the Federal Secretary of Health, highlighting the unfairly low monthly stipends paid to postgraduate residents and house officers (HOs).

“The stipend paid to postgraduate trainees and house officers at federal hospitals is considerably low and unjustified,” the letter stated.

According to the letter, trainee doctors at PIMS currently receive a monthly stipend of PKR 104,390, which is significantly lower than in Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Azad Kashmir, where stipends can reach up to PKR 150,000.

The letter further highlighted that stipends have not been increased since 2020, despite soaring inflation and the devaluation of the Pakistani rupee. Dr. Sikandar emphasises that this financial stagnation has put a strain on doctors and may affect the overall healthcare environment in federal hospitals.