GILGIT, July 26: The federal government has decided to revamp the service structure for the Northern Areas doctors to provide them all the perks and privileges enjoyed by their counterparts in the rest of the country, health department sources said.

Earlier, the doctors serving in various government hospitals of Northern Areas were not entitled to promotions, age relaxation and allowances like that of the doctors working in the rest of the country.

The government has now decided to extend age limit for the appointment of medical officers to 33 years from the previously fixed at 28 years.

The sources said the age limit for specialists of various fields has been prescribed 45 years which was 40.

Some 147 posts for new doctors were also being created to provide health facilities to a wider section of the populace, and the contract period of over 28 ad hoc doctors had already been extended for six months while the service extension of over 21 doctors was underway, the sources added.