K-P doctors promotions stalled by delayed lists

Health department slow approvals leave hundreds in limbo, fuelling unrest in medical community

PESHAWAR:

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Health Department has yet to issue the finalized 2025 seniority lists for doctors across all cadres, sparking deep concern within the medical community. The delay, insiders warn, threatens to stall the promotion process for hundreds of doctors and has already left many in a state of professional and psychological distress.

According to departmental rules, seniority lists for every cadre of doctors, including the General Cadre, Management Cadre, Dental Surgeons, and District Specialists, are required to be finalized and notified in January each year. With just a few months remaining in 2025, the lists remain incomplete, leaving doctors' career progress hanging in the balance.

"Seniority is the backbone of promotions," a source within the department explained. "Without an approved list, no promotion can be processed. Unfortunately, the Health Department continues to delay finalization, citing routine objections and paperwork."

The absence of updated lists has excluded large numbers of doctors from the ongoing promotion process. Representatives of various doctors' associations have raised the issue repeatedly, urging the government to expedite approvals. Some progress has been made: the General Cadre's grade-17 list has already been forwarded to the Establishment Department for review. Objections raised against certain cases have been noted, but officials emphasize that the central hurdle remains the final approval of the 2025 seniority list.

Spokesperson for the Provincial Doctors Association, Dr Shamsur Rehman, told The Express Tribune that disputes over the General Cadre's grade-18 to grade-19 list have been referred to the Secretary of Health for resolution. "Once these objections are cleared, the finalized list will be sent to the Establishment Department for approval, after which working papers for promotions can be prepared," he said.

Similarly, the grade-19 to grade-20 seniority list for General Cadre doctors has already reached the Health Department and will soon be dispatched to the Establishment Department. For the Management Cadre, officials said objections from certain doctors in grade-19 to grade-20 cases are being addressed by the Secretary of Health. The finalized list is expected to be sent back to the Director General of Health before being forwarded for approval.

District Specialist cadre cases are also under preparation and will be included in the agenda of the upcoming Provincial Selection Board (PSB) meeting. However, Dental Surgeons continue to face unique difficulties due to their separate section within the Directorate General of Health. Doctors' representatives have urged the DG Health to merge Dental Surgeons into the main ACR section to prevent delays in their promotions.

Doctors' bodies have called upon the provincial government to approve all pending seniority lists before the next PSB meeting, which is expected by the end of November.