Government to fill vacancies in Polyclinic

SAPM Zafar Mirza tells executive director to start hiring for Grades 1 to 15

ISLAMABAD: The government will soon start the hiring process to fill vacant posts in Federal Government Polyclinic Hospital.

The hospital caters to 7,000-8,000 patients on a daily basis and faces shortage of doctors, paramedics besides equipment, infrastructure and space.

Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) Dr Zafar Mirza told the executive director of Islamabad’s second largest health facility to fill vacancies of grade one to 15.

Appointments on higher posts will be made through Federal Public Service Commission, Mirza said chairing the seventh meeting of the Polyclinic Reforms Committee in Islamabad.

The meeting was attended by Parliamentary Secretary for Health Dr Nausheen Hamid, Health Secretary Dr Allah Bakhsh Malik, Polyclinic Executive Director Dr Shuaib Khan and all members of the committee.

During the meeting, Dr Mirza highlighted that the aim of the Reforms Committee is to ensure the provision of quality health services to each and every citizen and to improve operations of the state-run hospitals in line with the vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan. “It is also a step towards making Islamabad a model health city, reforms to be introduced and practical steps are being taken to benefit masses,” said SAPM while sharing his thoughts with the members.

SAPM Mirza, directed Polyclinic Executive Director Dr Shuaib to fill the vacant positions of the hospital to streamline its working. In this regard, hiring will be done for grade one to 15 staff, while vacancies above grade 17 will be filled through Federal Public Service Commission.

SAPM also highlighted the issue of delayed promotions of serving medical professionals for more than 10 years and committed to take up the issue about promotions of deserving employees.

He told the meeting that summary has been prepared to simplify the complex and long procedure involved in maintenance of hospital equipment and building by empowering the heads of hospitals. This will address a major issue causing severe hardships to the patients.

Mirza resolved to take restructuring steps to being a qualitative change in the provision of health facilities to the masses.

While formulating the reforms committee in May this year, Mirza had complimented the doctors for working hard despite having to operate in an environment in which the dispensation of duties is itself a huge challenge. “This hospital was established in 1966 as an eight-bedded facility and now has 550 beds, but with zero expansion in infrastructure. It is overcrowded and congested, and beset with too many problems,” he had said with regard to lack of space and court rulings against expansion of the health facility towards the adjacent Argentina Park.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 29^th, 2019.