January 4, 2002	Friday	Shawwal 19, 1422

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MULTAN, Jan 3: The Punjab health department has placed a number of grade 20 officials as subordinate to their juniors in various districts.

According to health sources, senior officials had been placed under junior officers in grade 17, 18 and 19. For instance, the executive district officer (health) in Sheikhupura enjoys grade 19, while the DHQ Hospital medical superintendent is a grade-20 official.

Similarly, in Sahiwal district the EDO (health) is serving in grade 19 while his subordinate MS of the DHQ Hospital is in grade 20. At the DHQ Hospital, Multan, the MS is in grade-18 while some grade-19 medical officers are working under him. The Nishtar MS is a grade-19 official while a principal medical officer is working in grade 20 under his command.

The most glaring example of violation of service rules is in Kot Addu tehsil of Muzaffargarh district where the THQ Hospital MS is in grade 17, while the former director health services, Dera Ghazi Khan, Javed Hasan Ajmi, is working under his supervision as MO. Ajmi has recently been promoted to grade 20.

Same type of irregularities in service rules is reported from the districts of Sialkot, Jhelum and Rahim Yar Khan.

Likewise, the general cadre officials of grade 20 are working as PMOs at Mayo and Sir Ganga Ram hospitals of the provincial capital while doctors of specialist cadre have been given the additional charge of medical superintendents of these health facilities in violation of service rules.

When talked, a number of senior health officials said the situation was frustrating for them and their other colleagues of same grades who at the fag-end of their career had been made subordinate to the officials far junior to them.