March 08, 2008	Saturday	Safar 29, 1429

KARACHI, March 7: Hundreds of doctors, who appeared in tests for appointment as medical officers in Sindh health department four months back, have finally succeeded in getting their official results on Friday.

Sources in the health department said that in the first phase about 1,585 doctors and lady doctors, who had applied for a grade-17 job on a contract basis, were being given results separately at the offices of the Sindh Health DG and the EDO Health Karachi. The successful candidates in specialists and nurses cadres would start getting the results from Saturday, the sources added.

The Sindh caretaker chief minister and the provincial health minister have already stated that letters of appointment against 2,100 vacant posts of medical officers (grade 17), specialists (grade 18) and nurses (grade 16) across the province would be issued by the elected government.

The tests were conducted and results were finalised only a few days before the exit of the previous elected government and since then the candidates have been on tenterhooks waiting for the results. They also started staging demonstrations to press the government for issuance of appointment letters.

The posts for a temporary appointment on a contract basis were advertised by the health department, realising the fact that shortage of doctors and nurses was a serious concern and delay in recruitment would definitely hamper the functioning of various healthcare centres in the province.

Talking to Dawn, Caretaker Sindh Health Minister Fauzia Lari said that she was really worried about the non-availability of competent doctors in government healthcare facilities, particularly in the rural areas, and that was the reason for her insistence on early completion of the process of recruitment undertaken by the last government.

The issuance of official results to applicants having secured 40 per cent marks or more was the action that she could ensure with the approval of the caretaker chief minister during the limited time at her disposal as caretaker minister, she said, expressing the hope that the new government would offer job letters to the applicants in due course of time.

For the applicants of specialists and nurses cadres, she said the results would be ready for delivery on Saturday.

Representing the doctors who qualified the tests, Dr Tahir Qureshi said that successful applicants for the posts of medical officers started receiving official results on Friday while specialists and nurses would start getting the official results on Monday.