Doctors' strike: Punjab govt to hire 900 new medical officers

LAHORE: The Punjab Health Department initiated the process for the recruitment of 900 medical officers in the wake of doctors’ strike and resignations, ARY News reported.

Punjab Minister of Primary and Secondary Healthcare Khawaja Imran Nazir said that the department will hire doctors on a regular basis in grade 17 and will be deployed in DHQ, THQ, and rural health centers.

Recently, the recruitment process for 378 women medical officers has been completed.

Khawaja Imran Nazir said that the recruitment drive is being carried out on the directives Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz.

He said that the department aims to fill all the vacant positions of doctors in hospitals through the recruitment drive.

It is pertinent to mention here that patients at three government-run hospitals suffered last week as young doctors went on strike in protest of the dismissal of the principal medical officer in Sahiwal,

Young doctors went on strike in response to the Punjab Young Doctors Association’s cal, demanding termination of cases against them.

The had also sought an apology from the Punjab Secretary of Health or the Punjab Chief Minister over the arrest and dismissal of physicians and the principal medical officer of Sahiwal Hospital during the visit of Maryam Nawaz, the chief minister of Punjab.

According to reports, Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif gave verbal orders during her visit to the hospital that resulted in the termination of four senior officials’ and the arrest of the primary medical officer.