PESHAWAR, Dec 24: NWFP Chief Minister Akram Khan Durrani has said the government is trying to solve the issue of reinstatement of senior consultants who tendered resignation after the introduction of the institution-based practice (IBP) by the former government.

He was speaking at a meeting held here on Tuesday to discuss the reinstatement of about 35 doctors who had resigned in protest against the launching of the IBP in the public sector hospitals.

The chief minister, however, made it clear that while devising a strategy for the restoration of doctors’ services every effort would be made to ensure that the seniority of the current teaching staff was not affected.

The meeting discussed various options and debated whether to reinstate these doctors or appoint them on contract basis. Other modalities in this regard also came under discussion.

Mr Durrani said the government had formed a committee to take into consideration the complaints of the current teaching staff who had been promoted to posts fallen vacant due to the resignation of senior doctors.

He said another meeting would be convened to look into various options, including reinstatement of doctors, hiring them on a contract basis or any other possibility.

The doctors working as consultants at present would be taken into confidence before a decision was taken on reinstatement, he added.

The government, he said, would give due consideration to the issue, but the process should not cause any harm to the present consultants.