E-Paper
Tribunal stays recovery of patient care allowance from PGI staff
PGI employees union (non faculty), PGI medical technologists association and Meenakshi, a junior technician in PGI had filed a petition in the Tribunal
Chandigarh
In an interim order, the central administrative tribunal (CAT) has restrained the ministry of health and family welfare and the PGIMER from making further recovery of hospital patient care allowance (HPCA) paid to employees who proceeded on leave for one month or more than that.
The PGI employees union (non faculty), PGI medical technologists association and Meenakshi, junior technician, PGI had filed a petition in the Tribunal. It was submitted that on September 18, 2019, the ministry while revising HPCA under 7th pay commission from ₹2,100 per to ₹4,100 per month up to pay level 8, and ₹5,300 per month for pay level 9 and above from July 1, 2017, ordered that HPCA would not be admissible in case of employee proceeds on leave/training for equivalent and more than one calendar month.
The petitioners submitted that on October 4, 2019, the PGIMER released arrears to its employees. However, the authorities stopped the HPCA of female employees on maternity and child care leave, which is more than one month, and also male employees who proceeded on leave for one month or more.
They mentioned that PGIMER administration further prepared a list of employees who went on leave for over a month between July 1, 2017 and September 30, 2019, and was prepared for making recoveries of the HPCA.
Acting on the petition, the Tribunal issued a notice of motion for December 9, 2019. Till then, as an interim order, it restrained them from making further recovery.
