LAHORE: The Punjab government has advertised the posts of the vice chancellors (VCs) of five public sector medical universities by incorporating certain conditions through amendments to the respective laws.

The positions were advertised just weeks before the expiry of the current terms of the VCs of these medical universities.

The Punjab Assembly enacted the Public Sector Medical Universities (Amendment) Act, 2026, which was published in the Punjab Gazette on June 24 after receiving the governor’s assent.

Within days of the legislation coming into force, the Specialised Healthcare and Medical Education (SHC&ME) Department issued the fresh advertisement inviting applications for the vice chancellors of King Edward Medical University, Fatima Jinnah Medical University, University of Health Sciences, Rawalpindi Medical University and Faisalabad Medical University.

Raises age limit; ends extensions, private practice, holding multiple offices

One of the changes is the increase in the maximum age limit for appointment as VC from 65 to 70 years.

A senior official said the government also introduced other key conditions that were absent from earlier advertisements/rules (a copy is also available with Dawn).

According to a new amendment, the VC will serve a single four-year ‘non-extendable’ term, abolishing the previous practice of getting multiple extensions by the VCs of the medical universities.

The official said the government has also completely banned the vice chancellors to hold any other office, making it mandatory for the VCs to discharge full-time administrative and academic assignments.

“The vice chancellors shall not hold any paid or unpaid post, administrative/academic/ honorary in any organisation/professional body during the term,” reads the amended legislation.

Following these conditions, the official said, several aspirants, including current VCs of the five medical universities, may go out of the race as they were holding the offices of various medical associations/unions, besides multiple other assignments.

Similarly, the Punjab government, in the revised eligibility criteria, has completely banned private practice for the vice chancellor inside and outside the university.

The official said the government made these regulations to discourage the loopholes in the system as the VCs, in the past, had been granted exemptions for private practices.

In this regard, he said, the health authorities had obtained from them an undertaking that they would not get non-practicing allowance, allowing them to run their private clinics while working as VCs.

The advertisement states that the newly-appointed VCs, however, may perform academic or clinical assignments only for academic purposes.

Applicants have also been asked to submit a no objection certificate (NOC), no enquiry certificate (NEC) and no due certificate (NDC) from their current employer.

The amended law retains the requirement that candidates must possess an MBBS degree or equivalent Level III medical qualification and have served as a professor for at least 10 years, besides having at least 20 publications in indexed medical journals. The advertisement states the applications from the interested candidates must reach by July 20.

Published in Dawn, July 2nd, 2026