KARACHI: Plan to restructure doctors’ posts under study
KARACHI, Aug 10: The Federal Health Ministry is contemplating to restructure the posts of doctors and other relevant medical professionals serving at medical centres under it in various parts of the country.
The Federal Health Secretary, Syed Anwar Mehmood, told APP on Wednesday that interviews of applicants for contract posts of assistant professors at the JPMC, the NICH, the NICVD in Karachi, and the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences in Islamabad, held on the JPMC’s premises.
To a query regarding shortage of doctors in federal government hospitals, he said administrations of all centres had been asked to assess their respective needs in accordance to patients’ pressures and availability of facilities.
Reminded of the fact that there existed no posts for oncologists at any government hospital, he acknowledged that oncology was a specialized field much needed against the backdrop of the growing incidence of cancers in the country.
“Radiologists have their own tremendous importance and we would ensure that posts for specialized oncologist are created and qualified professional are appointed,” he said.
Meanwhile, strongly dispelling concern among some doctors, he assured that seniority of postgraduate doctors serving at federal government hospitals would not be compromised with the appointment of associate professors and assistant professors.
These one-year contract posts would be required to be renewed after six months, he said, adding that contract arrangements had to be made as the posts of medical specialists were lying vacant for long at the expense of the plight of poor patients.
“Since appointment through the Federal Public Service Commission (FPCS) is a time-consuming process, we were left with no choice but to go for contract appointments,” he said.
Many of the FPCS doctors already serving at the JPMC have appeared in the interviews and, if fulfilling the criterion, they would be inducted against the said posts.
But, they would be required to revert to their actual assignments if fresh appointments are confirmed through the FPSC or their duration of contract expired, he explained.
The interviews made for more than 15 various specialities against 52 vacant posts of assistant professors (BPS-18) and nine posts of associate professors (BPS-18), two posts of lecturers/senior registrars (BPS-17) were conducted by senior officials of the Federal Health Ministry and a technical committee comprising senior medical professionals from relevant departments.
It may be mentioned that interviews made on Wednesday were for nine posts of associate professors (grade-19) and 52 for assistant professors (grade-18) lying vacant in three hospitals of Karachi since long.
Besides, interviews were also held for two posts of assistant professors in gynaecology and obstetrics and two other of senior registrars at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences – Islamabad.
Three of the vacant posts of associate professors at the JPMC pertain to one each at biochemistry, general surgery and medicine while 34 posts of assistant professors concern 12 other various departments.
Appointments of associate professors (four posts) in paediatrics medicine, paediatrics pathology and anaesthesia at the National Institute of Child Health and one post in cardiac surgery at the NICVD are also long awaited and are attempted to be made through contract arrangement.—APP
