PESHAWAR: As the health department is set to recruit 2,500 doctors including 1,425 medical officers, 764 nurses and 250 dental surgeons on fixed pay, applicants with simple graduation have asked the government to recruit them on these seats instead of those having postgraduate qualification.

A fresh graduate told this scribe that government had announced those seats for medical officers (MOs), therefore, non-specialists should be appointed on those positions.

“The doctors with postgraduate qualification will get selected as MOs but in future they will apply for seats of specialists and will be appointed so these seats will become vacant,” he said. He added that if doctors with higher qualification were deployed in basic health units and rural health centres, it would be encroachment upon the rights of simple medical graduates.

A dental surgeon said that those posts should be filled with the doctors having simple BDS degrees. According to him, specialists will get appointed on these seats because of their qualification.

Non-specialist doctors say medical officer posts meant for simple medical graduates

Nurses have same views as a junior nurse said that they could not compete with the ones having higher qualification but the government should think over their genuine concerns.

Two months ago, the government announced seats of medical officers (MOs), dental surgeons and nurses on contractual basis but at the same time additional 15 marks were announced for the medics having postgraduate qualification.

Officials in health department said that interviews for the posts had been completed and scrutiny was under way. They said that appointments on those posts were expected within fortnight.

They said that there were more than 2,600 big and small hospitals in the province with over 90, 000 staff members, who included 8,052 medical officers, 930 district specialists, 561 management cadre doctors, 662 dental surgeons, 6,157 nurses, 17,466 paramedics and 18,315 lady health workers and lady health visitors.

They said that about 25 per cent of the doctors working as medical officers had to their credit postgraduate qualification in different specialties because the government hadn’t announced a vacancy of specialist during the last few years.

Sources said that 600 posts of regular district specialists were lying vacant that needed to be advertised and filled through Public Service Commission as soon as possible because the province had over 10,000 specialist doctors. Not only specialists but doctors with super specialties were sitting idle or working on low salaries in private hospitals, they said.

They said that many super specialists were working in Sindh and Punjab or had proceeded abroad after finding no job in the province.

As per law, the post of medical officer can be filled through a doctor, who has minimum qualification like MBBS or MD. If any doctor has extra qualification like FCPS, he can also apply for the post and may be recruited.

Sources said that there was no ban on doctors having qualification of FCPS, MCPS, MRCP and FRCS etc to become a medical officer because there was an acute shortage of doctors in the province.

For the past few years, the government hadn’t announced posts of medical officers or specialists, therefore, everyone had the right to apply and get selected, they added.

They said that the province had over 2,500 health facilities, including 2438 primary care centres, 128 category A, B, C and D hospitals, including district headquarters hospitals, 10 medical teaching institutions and two teaching hospitals, in addition to 15,800 health houses run by as many lady health workers and 1,485 community midwives.

“For all 1,425 seats of medical officers, the number of applicants with postgraduate qualification will be not more than 400. Therefore, simple MBBS degree holders have good chances of being recruited,” said sources.

Those with simple MBBS qualification argue that if these posts are for MOs, then, why extra marks are given to the doctors with postgraduate degrees.

Meanwhile, doctors want the government to recruit candidates on permanent basis instead of ad hoc.

Published in Dawn, June 12th, 2026