Health dept seeks staff data of six districts

PESHAWAR:

The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Health Department has urgently sought details of employees from Grade 1 to 16 working in six districts of the province, including Peshawar, as well as five major hospitals in Peshawar. All relevant information has been ordered to be submitted within a week.

Official letters have been dispatched to the district health officers (DHOs) of Peshawar, Nowshera, Charsadda, Mardan, Swabi, and Ghallanai.

Additionally, letters have been sent to the administrations of Maulvi Amir Shah Memorial Hospital, Naseerullah Babar Memorial Hospital, Government Maternity Hospital, Services Hospital, and Siffat Ghayur Hospital in Peshawar.

According to the directive, comprehensive details of all employees from Grade 1 to 16 — including nurses, paramedics, and other supporting staff - must be provided.

A standardized format has been sent along with the letters to the DHOs and hospitals, containing separate forms for nurses and paramedics.

These forms require essential information such as employee grade, designation, duration of posting at the current station, domicile, and the name of the facility. All data must be accurately entered into the prescribed pro forma.

It may be recalled that in January, the K-P government decided to fill 248 long-vacant management cadre posts in the Health Department. The process of recruitment of 600 specialist doctors via Public Service Commission is also being expedited.

The Provincial Doctors Association has welcomed the government's decision, saying that these seats had been unfilled for several years with little attention from the Health Department.

Responding to the association's request, the Health Advisor has agreed to relax the upper age limit mentioned in the advertisement, originally set at 32 years. A five-year age relaxation will be granted, and the rules will be amended accordingly.

This relaxation will allow doctors above the age of 32 to apply and benefit from this recruitment opportunity.

The Health Advisor has also issued orders to speed up the recruitment process for the 600 specialist doctors, citing an urgent need to address the severe shortage of district specialists across the province.