June 21, 2006	Wednesday	Jumadi-ul-Awwal 24, 1427

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PESHAWAR, June 20: The NWFP health department is facing problems in terminating the service of doctors for dereliction of duty or on other charges under the Special Powers Removal from Service Ordinance 2000, mainly because of complicated legal formalities, official sources said.

“We have terminated the services of 250 doctors since 2000. More doctors could have been terminated on account of remaining absent from duties during the corresponding period, but due to complicated formalities, the department is unable to prepare strong cases against them,” said a source at the health department.

He said that the NWFP had 7,000 doctors, of which some remained absent for several years without intimation to the health department and as a result the people suffer. He said that during the current year, the services of some 50 doctors, including had been terminated, whereas the cases of another 85 were in the pipeline for dismissal from service under the ordinance.

According to the ordinance, the department was required to issue explanation order to the doctors on their permanent home addresses for remaining absent from duties without taking leave from the competent authority. Then show-cause notices to these doctors, were issued through newspapers if not received by the recipients at their home address. The recipients of the show-cause notice were then required under the law to reply within a stipulated period of 15 days, source added.