PESHAWAR, Dec 11: Many trainee medical officers, who appeared in the tests to complete their requirements for Part-II Postgraduate examination at the city hospitals, have accused the authorities of manipulating the test results to accommodate their favourite candidates.

Talking to Dawn, the trainee medical officers (TMOs) said they had applied in March to complete their two-year requirements for their postgraduate examinations in various disciplines.

They alleged that the authorities at the Postgraduate Medical Institute (PGMI) extended dates for tests and interviews on three occasions, which benefited the fresh candidates and jeopardized their seniority.

According to them, they had applied in March last year. The College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan (CPSP) holds part I examination thrice in an year, said a TMO.

The authorities, they added, had been dragging feet on the interviews and another batch which passed its Part I examination in July was also included in the same tests.

Even then the interviews did not take place till another batch of candidates applied who had passed part I examinations in November.

In the process, dates for the interviews kept changing till finally it took place on Dec 10.

Some of the 150 aspirants, who appeared for the tests held for selection on 102 posts of trainee medical officers (TMOs) complained that being senior, it was hard for them to compete with the fresh candidates, who had recently passed their part I examinations.

They argued that the authorities should have considered their seniority.

The TMOs had applied for different special fields, including medicines, surgery, dentistry, eye and orthopaedics, at the Hayatabad Medical Complex (HMC), the Khyber Teaching Hospital (KTH), the Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) and the Khyber College of Dentistry (KCD).

A dental surgeon said he had applied to the KCD in March last year, but the interviews were delayed until the two posts were grabbed by the fresh candidates. He said they were unable to compete with the doctors who had recently passed their part I exams.

The Dean of the PGMI, Prof Dr Arshad Javid, said the interview had taken place in most transparent manner. According to new rules, tests and interviews take place once in an year.