KP, Punjab move to hire new doctors
ISLAMABAD: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has appointed at least 1,300 new doctors on contractual basis across the province to help stem the spread of coronavirus.
Meanwhile, the Punjab government has decided to hire 10,000 doctors in view of the shortage at a time when the pandemic has hit the province.
Chief Minister Mahmood Khan said the provincial Public Service Commission has approved the recruitment of 635 more doctors, who would join the health force soon to ensure better care for the people during the current coronavirus outbreak.
He said he has inspected quarantine and isolation areas in the Landi Kotal District Headquarters Hospital and Shah Kas Levies Centre and found arrangements to be satisfactory.
The chief minister said the capacity of quarantine and isolation facilities would be increased if the number of coronavirus cases surged.
Meanwhile, a complete picture of vacant positions of professors, registrars, nurses and paramedics in the major hospitals run by the Punjab government has been presented to Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar.
Acting on the elaborate list, he approved hiring of 10,000 doctors on ad hoc basis by relaxing rules in view of the coronavirus pandemic.
A summary, moved to the chief minister, contained complete details of all 19,507 vacant posts. It was meant to seek his permission to recruit doctors and health professionals on ad hoc basis through walk-in interviews in the Specialised Healthcare and Medical Education ( SHC&ME) Department due to COVID-19 pandemic.
The summary said that the pandemic of coronavirus has emerged in Pakistan and is also affecting various areas of the province of Punjab. In this regard, to deal with this menace the SHC&ME is making its utmost efforts. However, due to shortage of health professionals/doctors in its autonomous medical institutions/teaching hospitals, managing the affairs of patients is becoming more difficult, the summary said. According to it, as many as 343 posts of professors are vacant against 668 sanctioned posts. A total of 325 professors are currently working. Similarly, the associate professors have the sanctioned strength of 838. Of them, 423 posts are vacant while 415 associate professors are working.
Likewise, the positions of 423 assistant professors are vacant against their sanctioned strength of 1,403. As many as 920 assistant professors are in service now.