PESHAWAR, Dec 18: The NWFP Contract Doctors Association held a protest demonstration opposite the provincial assembly’s building on Thursday, asking the government to regularise their jobs.

The doctors were holding placards inscribed with slogans in favour of their demands.

Speaking on the occasion, president of the association, Dr Taimur Khan, said the NWFP government appointed 1,200 doctors on contractual basis in 1995 with a promise to regularise their jobs.

He said the services were yet to be regularised despite the fact that most of them had qualified the public service commission’s examinations on more than one occasion.

At present, he said, 746 doctors including 170 women doctors and 150 dental surgeons had been working in health facilities in the far-flung areas against paltry salaries. He opposed the MMA’s government decision wherein the contract doctors had been directed to appear in the PSC examination for the renewal of the contracts.

He said that the PSC, under 4 of the 1983 functions rules, had no authority to conduct interviews for contract jobs, because under the rules, it required to hold interviews only for civil servants. The contract employment did not fall in the category of civil service under section 2(b) of the NWFP 1973 rules, he added.

The doctors’ body chief said they had already gained enough experience including training on government expenses and there was no need to interview us again and again.

A large number of police force was present on the occasion to cope with any untoward incident.