Health department infected with 1,200 ghost doctors

Medical practitioners have been drawing salaries, availing perks while avoiding duties

KARACHI: After the education department was rocked by the menace of ghost teachers, a similar scandal has emerged in the provincial health department where it has been revealed that around 1,200 doctors on the government’s payroll have failed to show up for work for the past few years.

Officials in the health department said that these ghost doctors are drawing monthly salaries and other privileges, but do not come to work. In this connection the health department has compiled a list and sent reminders to the doctors working in grades 17 and 18 but no results have come of this action.

Sources in the department say that a few doctors live abroad and many work at private hospitals or run their own clinics. "Not only in Karachi, but this menace exists in other districts of Sindh as well,  such as Larkana, Sukkur, Hyderabad, Jacobabad, Mirpurkhas, Tharparkar, Khairpur Mirs, Dadu  and Kashmore," a senior official in health department said, adding that around 250 doctors of grade 18 have been absent since 2005.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, Health Secretary Dr Fazulluah Pechuho said, "We have published the list of these doctors in newspapers and are serving them notices but only 60 have answered the show-cause notices".



He said that he would soon hold a meeting with the auditor-general of Pakistan to stop their salaries. "After stopping their salaries and other privileges, we will dismiss them from service," he vowed, adding that he has sent a clear message to corrupt employees in the health message to answer the notices or face the music.

The health secretary, who earlier served in the education department, said they are now introducing a biometric system in the health department as well to ensure that every employee is registered and attends office regularly.

"There are around 72,000 employees, including 22,000 lady health workers, in the health department,” said Dr Pechuho. “We are verifying all the employees through a modern system by bringing lady health workers on the permanent payroll as well. I hope this will bring tangible results," he said.



Sharing the list of ghost doctors, a section officer in the health department said that among them many doctors are specialists. "Paediatricians, cardiologists, gynecologists and dermatologists are among those who have not turned up for work for quite some time," he said, adding that political influence and corruption are major factors behind the disappearance of doctors from their duties.

Dr Qaisar Sajjad, secretary-general of the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA), which is the representative body of doctors in Pakistan, said that they have clear motives to serve the people and the government must take action against doctors who fail to perform their duties. "There is already a severe shortage of doctors, so the government must come up with action against them and appoint new ones on merit," he said.

Dr Sajjad expressed his dismay over the delaying tactics and negligence on the part of the government in taking action against the ghost doctors. "I wonder why the government has not fired them if they have been absent for the last 10 to 12 years," he questioned, adding that action must be taken following the rules and procedures by giving explanations and issuing show-cause notices.  "Our plea is that no one should be laid off on political grounds," he said.