LAHORE, Aug 18: The General Cadre Doctors Association Punjab has demanded increase in the percentage of promotions of general cadre doctors, saying that this is the only solution to shortage of senior doctors at public health facilities all over the province.

Addressing a general body meeting of the association on the issue of service structure, association president Dr Akhtar Masood Sheikh said that according to the present distribution formula set for general cadre doctors, 34 per cent of doctors were promoted to BPS-18, 15 per cent to BPS-19 and only one per cent to BPS-20. He urged the health department to increase promotions to BPS-19 from 15 to 25 per cent and to BPS-20 from one per cent to six per cent. He said a policy needed to be adopted to clear the promotions backlog.

Dr Sheikh said the government had been playing a role to bring improvement in the service structure. However, the matter should be solved once for all. He said that in addition to revising the percentage distribution formula, the seniority list needed to be revised and those general cadre doctors who had been given an opportunity for cadre change in the last few months should be excluded from the list.

Special Assistant to Chief Minister on Health Khawaja Salman Rafique, who was invited to the association meeting as chief guest, said the government would consider proposals of all stakeholders before finalising the service structure. — Staff Reporter