PESHAWAR, Dec 22: In order to appoint its own employees in the newly-established district government, the health department has introduced district cadre in the department, and in the initial phase 505 out of the 12,280 health employees from grade one to 15 would be reshuffled to their own districts.

Speaking at a press conference here about the newly-introduced policy the director-general health, Brigadier Habib said that in order to facilitate the medical staff and to provide the district government their own people the new policy had been introduced.

He said that the employees of the health department, nurses, paramedics and LHVs etc. would be appointed and transferred according to their districts of domicile as per the seniority list provided to each district.

Lauding the efforts of Dr Luthfullah, special advisor to the governor, DG health said that he has fed into the computer, data of more than 20,000 employees adding that this computerization has made their work easy.

He said that about five per cent of the medical staff from grade one to 15 had been appointed outside their districts and about 95 per cent of them were already serving in their own districts.

Talking about this new policy he said that everything like posting and transfers are in the hands of the district government, and the provincial government need not interfere except in cases of gross misconduct or spouse issue.

He further said that 80 specialists have been appointed on the 100 vacant posts, and 138 MOs more were being appointed.

The provincial government would be moved by the district government concerned when the case of an employee matured and needed adjustment in other district.

He told reporters that District Committees would dispose of the cases relating to postings and transfers of the employees of the health institutions in their areas of jurisdiction on merit.

Employees working in districts other than those of their domicile would be given a one-time option to exercise their right of domicile once and for all.

Moreover, employees working in the big hospitals of Peshawar like KTH, LRH and HMC would also be asked to give their choice whether they wanted to serve in the same hospital or wished to be transferred to their district of domicile.—PPI/APP