PESHAWAR, July 10: The NWFP health department has said that the decision regarding six-month training of the trainee medical officers at district headquarter hospitals has not been taken.

A press statement said that it was proposed during a visit of the president of the College of Physicians and Surgeons, Pakistan, Prof Mohammad Sultan Farooqi, that trainee medical officers would be asked to voluntarily perform six-month duty at district headquarter hospitals as part of their requirement for taking examination in various categories.

In light of the CPSP guidelines, a meeting was held under NWFP Health Minister Inayatullah Khan that the trainee medical officers would be paid Rs20,000 a month besides provision of residence to those who were willing to be transferred to four designated hospitals of the province for the last six months of their two-year training programme.

It said that after the meeting the CPSP would examine the hospitals at the district level to determine if they were fit for specialists’ training. The idea behind the move was to strengthen the health care delivery system at the district level and lessen the burden on tertiary care institutions.