Dr Parvez Kamal was recently appointed as Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Health services DG; he had previously been serving as the health services DG for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) and was 17th on the seniority list.
Officials privy to the matter claim not only Governor Mehtab Abbasi was bypassed in the decision to transfer Kamal from Fata to the province but so were 16 other senior officials of management cadre.
“The rules clearly state only the top 10 officers on the seniority list should be considered and Kamal is not on that list; in fact, he is on the 17th position,” said the insider requesting anonymity since he was not authorised to talk to the media.
The summary of the appointment, a copy of which is available with The Express Tribune, states that under the Health (Management) Service Rules 2008, the post for the health services DG is filled on the basis of merit from among the 10 senior-most members of the service.
However, this rule is then violated in the same summary when its adds, “Though in the seniority list of the management cadre (BS-20), the doctor [Dr Parvez Kamal] is at serial number 17, he is the most suitable officer for the post of DG health services.”
The summary also states it is the policy of the provincial government to obtain the governor’s approval of posting/transfers from settled areas to Fata and vice-versa. However, the insider claims this rule was also violated and the governor was not taken on board in the decision to appoint Kamal. Sources within the Governor House also claimed that Mehtab was not consulted.
Moreover, health services rules state at least three names should be suggested for the DG’s post. However, in this case only Kamal’s name was put forward, added the insider.
The post had fallen vacant after Dr Abdul Waheed Shah Burki retired on November 16.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 28th, 2014.
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Is it the first time that injustices are done.. It is visible in provincial assembly. Most of the members are selected on blood relationship. No person can be posted without the recommendations of an assembly member. Merit is only in name not in practice. There is no democracy in kpk. It is autocracy.
A column in some other newspaper stated that around 10 of the top senior doctors of management cadre are retiring in a maximum span of 4 months. So it must definitely be taken into consideration that appointing the DG Health for only 4 months maximum, during which he would barely encompass such a large and vital field of health, would be a very mediocre act. Plus the Governor not being in the loop is utter rubbish. The proposal would have gone to him and he SIGNED/APPROVED it. Otherwise the said Doctor would never have been able to be posted as the DG Health KPK. So the Governor gave his blessings. Also, we have been reading about this post in the papers repeatedly. In different newspapers, claims were made that three names have been selected between which one would be chosen. Mashriq also reported the Health Minister Mr.Tarakai to have held quite a few interviews with different Doctors for this vacant post and reported to have said that Dr.Kamal has a vast experience and is most suitable for this post. As a doctor myself I find this article negligible.
I believe that the most capable person should be appointed not the most senior. The seniority system is there to stop nepotism and to highlight experience however bureaucrats are unfortunately promoted on the basis of loyalty to rulling govt than merit or experience. But still if this is true kpk should follow rules.