The Balochistan government has suspended 140 doctors across the province for being absent and showing negligence in performing their duties, provincial health secretary Asmatullah Kakar informed Dawn on Thursday.

Show-cause notices were also issued to 180 doctors in various hospitals of the province, he said.

The doctors had remained absent for a long time and failed to turn up at their duties despite repeated notices, he said. Most of the suspended doctors were posted in remote districts of the province.

Kakar said seven cases for termination of senior doctors and 45 cases for determining penalties have been forwarded to chief secretary for further action.

Despite the Balochistan government allocating more than Rs25 billion for health for the ongoing financial year, the health sector in Balochistan paints a bleak picture.

The provincial health department recently came under scrutiny after the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) launched an investigation into the wrongful purchase of medicines worth millions of rupees.

NAB has arrested several senior officers of the health department to probe charges of embezzlement in connection with the case.