PESHAWAR, July 16: Successive provincial governments have not regularized the services of more than 1,000 doctors employed on contract basis. The NWFP government appointed 1,200 doctors, including dental surgeons, in 1995 on contract.

The future of over 1,000 of the doctors working in government hospitals, dispensaries and basic health units is uncertain because the government has completed interviews for 997 contract seats through the Public Service Commission (PSC).

About 250 doctors didn't take the examination, arguing that theyhad cleared the PSC examination several times in the past. According to them, most of the contract doctors had cleared the PSCtests and interviews conducted for regular posts but they could not be appointed because of a zonal limit on vacancies.

The doctors, including graduates of 1989, had to compete with fresh graduates in the PCS interviews. Most of them have become over-age and their seniority was not taken into account for appointment to regular posts.

They have gained experience and completed different courses, on which the government spent millions of rupees. The Sindh Assembly, through a bill, has regularized the jobs of contract doctors, while there was no contract employment in the other two provinces.

The NWFP Employees on Contract Basis (Regularization of Services) Act, 1989, reads: "Notwithstanding anything contained in any law for the time being in force, any civil servant, who is, or has been, appointed or deemed to have been appointed against any post in any government department under Section 3 of this act shall be deemed to have been regularly appointed from the date of his/her continuous officiation, subject to eligibility, according to the service rules applicable to the post, verified by the administrative secretary of the department concerned."

The PSC, under Section 4 of the 1983 Functions and Rules, has no authority to conduct interviews for contract posts. The law reforms committee of the NWFP Assembly has said that the PSC could not conduct interviews for appointments on contract basis.

"Every government since 1995 has promised to regularize our jobs but noneof them honoured the promises," said a doctor. The doctors were not awarded annual increments and other benefits, which was against the rules, he said.

He said earlier their contracts were renewed on yearly basis on recommendations of the medical superintendents, executive district officers and health and agency surgeons concerned but the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal government had linked the renewal of their contracts with passing the PSC tests.

He said two months ago the doctors ended their week-long hunger strike after getting assurance from the health minister that the jobs of those working on contractual posts since 1995 would be regularized without tests. After the completion of tests and interviews, some of the doctors had qualified while others had not been recommended for fresh postings.