Health department: Doctors to be hired on ad hoc basis

Health Secretary ordered his department to fill all vacant positions for doctors as soon as possible.

LAHORE: Health Secretary Mohammad Jehanzeb Khan has ordered his department to fill all vacant positions for doctors in public sector hospitals as soon as possible.At a departmental review meeting, Khan directed officials to fill all vacancies though district selection boards on an ad hoc basis, according to a press release issued on Sunday. He said that the details of vacant posts should also be sent to the Punjab Public Service Commission for regular appointments. Khan gave the health director general, Dr Aslam Chaudhry, the power to transfer officers of grades 1 to 15, saying such transfers would now be notified by the DG’s office rather than the department secretariat. He also told the DG to process all doctors’ promotion cases. He directed the medical superintendents of public hospitals to complete the annual confidential reports for doctors working under them. The meeting also reviewed the performance of the department’s legal cell and additional secretaries briefed the secretary on the performance of their wings. Special Health Secretary Wasim Mukhtar, Additional Secretary (Development) Moazam Usman, Additional Secretary (Technical) Dr Mushtaq Sulehria, Deputy Secretary (Admin) Saleha Saeed and Deputy Secretary (General) Dr Shoaib also attended the meeting.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 20^th, 2011.