PESHAWAR: A severe backlog in the promotion process for medical professionals has resulted in more than 1,440 positions remaining unfilled within the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa health department, according to sources on Tuesday. This ongoing slowdown is exacerbating critical staff shortages and placing additional pressure on an already overwhelmed provincial healthcare infrastructure.
Administrative Gridlock Impacts Healthcare Delivery
The vacancies are spread across the management cadre, general cadre, and dental surgeons, primarily attributed to extended delays in promotion procedures. Insiders report that the lack of progress has plunged the health sector into a state of significant administrative and service-level distress. In response, fresh directives have been issued to accelerate the process ahead of the upcoming Provincial Selection Board (PSB) meeting.
Urgent Calls for Action from Health Authorities
Sources indicate that the provincial health directorate has received renewed instructions from doctors' organizations and the secretary of health to urgently finalize working papers and submit doctors' promotion cases for PSB consideration. This move aims to address the mounting vacancies that are crippling healthcare services across the region.
Detailed Breakdown of Vacant Positions
Departmental records reveal a stark picture of the staffing crisis:
Management Cadre Shortfalls
- Out of 562 sanctioned posts from Grade 18 to Grade 20, a staggering 422 positions remain vacant.
- This includes 286 vacancies in Grade 18, 116 in Grade 19, and 20 in Grade 20.
General Cadre Vacancies
- From 2,245 sanctioned posts in the general cadre, 971 are currently unfilled.
- The breakdown shows 621 vacant Grade 18 posts, 301 in Grade 19, and 51 in Grade 20, all linked to promotion delays.
Dental Surgeons Gap
- Additionally, 47 posts for dental surgeons are vacant across various grades.
- Specific figures include 11 out of 499 Grade 17 posts, 25 out of 76 Grade 18 posts, 9 out of 50 Grade 19 posts, and 2 out of 11 Grade 20 posts remaining unfilled.
Formal Requests to Resolve the Crisis
The Establishment Department formally communicated with the health department on August 28, 2024, requesting complete seniority lists and working papers to fill these vacant positions through the promotion quota. This step underscores the bureaucratic efforts being made to untangle the promotion process and alleviate the healthcare strain in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
