ISLAMABAD: As thousands of health sector employees risk losing their jobs or having to go through a renewed recruitment process under the Federal Public Service Commission, the Senate Standing Committee on Health asked Health Minister Mustafa Kamal to look into the matter on compassionate grounds.

During the PPP government in 2008-13, a cabinet committee headed by Syed Khursheed Shah was established for the regularisation of daily wage and contract employees. Tens of thousands of employees were regularised in dozens of ministries and divisions. However, the Supreme Court, in a recent case, ordered the authorities to restart the process under FPSC as the employees were regularised without tests and interviews.

During the meeting, Committee Chairman Senator Amir Waliuddin Chishti said that most of the employees were near 50 with almost 25 years of experience. “Sending them to the FPSC will be tantamount to expelling them from service as they will not be able to clear tests and interviews after so many years,” he claimed.

Health Minister Mustafa Kamal said that a process had been suggested for the employees and their issue would be resolved. Senator Humayun Mohmand said that the process would lead to the expulsion of experienced doctors who were regularised over a decade ago. The chairman suggested the minister look into the issue on compassionate grounds.

A doctor, wishing not to be named, said that they had worked on contracts and daily wages for over a decade and finally a cabinet committee headed by Khursheed Shah regularised them.

“There are tens of thousands of employees of different ministries who were regularised. In September 2024, some employees approached the Supreme Court for seniority and other benefits, but the apex court ordered them to be sent to the FPSC. On March 9, 2025, the Establishment Division issued an order due to which all ministries and divisions started working to send regularised employees to FPSC,” he said.

“I cleared my MBBS 27 years ago. I can perform surgeries, but how can I clear the written test now? On the other hand, the syllabus has also been changed,” he said, adding that there were 76,000 employees who had been under severe mental strain due to this uncertainty.

Meanwhile, the committee took up the Mental Health (Amendment) Bill 2025, introduced by Senator Samina Mumtaz Zehri. She highlighted the urgent need to address gaps in postnatal mental health care, citing a tragic case in Nawabshah in which a mother fatally harmed her children. She emphasised that such cases often went undiagnosed due to the absence of clear practitioner guidelines. Minister Mustafa Kamal acknowledged the concern and agreed on the necessity of establishing protocols to guide mental health professionals. The committee unanimously approved the bill.

Published in Dawn, April 25th, 2025