LAHORE: The Punjab health department has issued appointment letters on ‘locum basis’ (temporary) to 450 doctors to perform duties in emergency situations in the public teaching hospitals of the province, including those of Lahore.

Of 450 doctors, 25 were the consultants/senior registrars (SRs) besides male and female medical officers.

As per the scheme, the SR/consultant shall be paid Rs10,000 and medical officer/women medical officer Rs8,000 per shift/eight working hours.

The University of Health Sciences (UHS) Lahore has so far registered 4,500 doctors, including consultants and medical officers/women medical officers, following the strike call of the Young Doctors Association (YDA) at the public teaching hospitals of Punjab.

An official, privy to the development, says that the locum hiring is followed all over the world, including the USA, the UK and the Gulf as their health establishments hire locum tenens physicians and other part-time clinicians to fill the vacancies to meet the staff shortages.

Consultant to get Rs10,000, medical officer Rs8,000 per shift; hirees have no right to permanent employment; UHS registers 4,500 doctors for temporary job

Registration of a large number of doctors all over Punjab was made during a period of one week only.

However, the official declares the overwhelming/unexpected response towards the Punjab government’s first-ever scheme a highly disturbing trend, saying the situation shows there is a significant number of the qualified and experienced doctors who are facing unemployment in the largest province of the country.

The process was initiated after the Punjab government accorded approval to ensure the uninterrupted healthcare services to the patients at the outpatient (OPDs) and indoor departments of the hospitals when the YDA Punjab announced a strike against the outsourcing of the health facilities.

“The competent authority has been pleased to allow the recruitment of doctors on locum basis on the given terms conditions,” reads an official letter of the Punjab health department.

It had authorized the UHS Lahore to complete the task, stating that the university shall determine the eligibility of the locum doctors against the posts of senior registrar, consultants and medical officers as per the notified services rules by the health department.

As per the scheme, the UHS shall place the locum doctors at the disposal of medical superintendents of tertiary care/teaching hospitals.While applying for the registrations, the candidates were given the option to mention the preference/choice of the district where they wanted to be posted on the locum basis.

The selected doctors shall be required to mark their attendance electronically by using any digital app/device for payment.

The MSs shall certify that the locum doctors have performed the duties during the assigned shift. The recruitment, on a locum basis, shall initially be for a period of one month, which may be extended if required.The government had made it clear that the recruitment on the locum basis shall not confer any right to permanent employment.

According to the official agreement, the UHS shall directly disburse the payment to bank accounts of the locum doctors.

“In case locum doctor wishes to discontinue at any time during one month period, he shall inform the concerned MS at least two days before leaving the place,” reads the letter.

The hiring process of the qualified nursing staff on the locum basis was also under process in Punjab as nearly 150 nurses have so registered themselves for the appointment with the UHS within two days or so.

Published in Dawn, May 12th, 2025