MUZAFFARABAD, Jan 16: More than three dozen doctors employed by the AJK health department are likely to lose their jobs in the next couple of days for being absent from their duties for the last two to eight years, AJK health minister said here on Wednesday.

Dr Mohammad Najeeb Naqi told Dawn that around 44 doctors, some even in specialist cadre, had been away from their duties without any proper approval of leave.

The department had many a time in the past served notices on them but they never took them seriously, as a result the working of the health facilities was being affected, he said.

Dr Naqi said that after assuming this office he however took strong exception to the absence of doctors and directed the department to proceed against them under Removal from Service (Special Power Act).

A final notice, in this regard, was issued through newspaper advertisements late last month, which made only four absentees to turn up, citing different reasons for their absence, he said.

The rest, he declared, would have to lose their jobs if they failed to come up with any cogent reason for their perpetual absence.

The minister asserted that it was the first time that such an strict disciplinary action had been taken against the absent doctors.

Earlier, according to him, the absent doctors used to get their absence regularised besides claiming other privileges after rejoining the health department.

The minister pointed out that absence of such a big number of doctors was not only affecting the working of their respective health facilities but also restricting the department to make fresh appointments as well as promotions against these posts.

“Now soon after their termination we will requisition the posts to the public service commission,” he said.

Responding to another question, the minister said that around 80 posts of doctors and specialists were already vacant in the health department, 46 of them would be filled shortly in line with the recommendations of the PSC.

He said the government was also working on an attractive pay package for doctors and the scheme would shortly be sent to the federal government for financial allocation.

He said the data of health department staff was also being computerised.

Moreover, the whole working of the state capital’s major healthcare centre, Abbas Institute of Medical Sciences (AIMS), was also being computerised at a cost of Rs20 million, he said.