Body set up to look into Pims nursing students' issues.

Byline: Ikram Junaidi

ISLAMABAD -- After a day-long protest by the nurses of Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims), Ministry of National Health Services (NHS) on Monday constituted a fact-finding committee to look into the grievances of the nursing students.

The three-member committee headed by Deputy Secretary Saeed Ahmed will investigate the nursing students' issues and submit a report in two weeks.

Other members are official of the ministry Rasheed Munir Shehzad and Industrial Area Assistant Commissioner Mahreen Baloch.

On June 30, nursing students had protested against the non-payment of stipend which led to the suspension of two officials including the accountant of the hospital.

Nursing students had alleged that the account section was illegally deducting a certain amount from their stipend as it is paid in cash. However, the Pims administration had denied the allegation. During the protest, the students had smashed windows.

They had also demanded a health risk allowance. On Monday, nurses again held a protest, and later they went to the ministry which set up a fact-finding committee to look into their issues.

According to the document, available with Dawn, within three days the committee will find the possibility of payment of stipend to nursing students through bank accounts and verification of disbursement of stipend to students.

Within six days the committee will verify the expenditure on account of stipend being paid to nursing students as the budget was provided for 274 nurses but the amount was paid to 150 students.

It will also look into the...