KARACHI: In a landmark verdict, the Sindh High Court has accepted a petition filed by Dr. Sumaiya Qazi and 53 other Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) graduates, ruling that DPT house officers must receive a monthly stipend equivalent to that of MBBS doctors.
During the proceedings, counsel Qazi Ali Athar Advocate argued that DPT graduates undergo a rigorous five-year academic program followed by a mandatory house job, identical to MBBS trajectories. Despite this, DPT house officers had been denied any remuneration for the past nine years—a practice the counsel described as a severe violation of Article 11 of the Constitution concerning forced labor. While MBBS house officers receive a monthly stipend of PKR 69,000, DPT counterparts received nothing.
The court has officially ordered the Jinnah Hospital administration to immediately disburse equal stipends to DPT house officers and directed the Government of Sindh to formulate a permanent, province-wide policy ensuring parity in compensation.
