PESHAWAR, May 25: The health department has sought repatriation of more than 100 senior doctors, currently on deputation to international organisations, to implement a recently enacted law.

“These doctors work with UN and other agencies despite continuity of their services at health department. Now they have been asked to quit their jobs and revert back to their duties at the health department immediately,” sources said.

They added directives to doctors concerned were issued in fulfillment of a new law. Section 6 of the Act, passed by provincial assembly on May 2, says: “Government may allow deputation abroad for all categories of doctors only once in their entire service, for a period not exceeding three years.”

The Act is aimed at regulating by-law appointments, postings and transfers of doctors and permits only three years deputation for jobs with foreign organisations within Pakistan.

“Most of the doctors come across representatives of donor agencies when they meet in connection with projects and programmes with them,” sources said.

Currently more than 100 doctors have been working with international organisations for the last 12 to 14 years. They were required to report back to the department, sources said.

They said that half of those doctors were likely to tender resignations from government service because of handsome salaries they received from the organisations with which they worked. While others, who held senior posts at the health department, would rejoin their duties to save their jobs, they said.

The doctors and other staff of health department working with UN and other organisations had been informed that the new law also authorised the health department to replace their services through acquirements, they said.

They added that the department could replace them if they didn't join their duties.

The new law has authorised the department to make regulate appointments and transfers of doctors. These doctors had also been asked in the past to get back to their posts but to no avail.

“Now they will join their jobs or tender resignations because they get good salary packages,” source said. Under the law the doctors and other officials will inform the health department and their appointments to the desired posts in any organisation will be made on merit.

Prof Noorul Iman, the special secretary health, told Dawn that regulating jobs of doctors with the international organisations would benefit the department as well as individuals. “The department will send people on deputations to the international agencies fro three years only. Their experience in those organisations can then be utilised for improvement in the delivery of health services,” he said.

Another objective was to put in place a mechanism under which deputations of doctors to “foreign service” were streamlined and allowed on equitable basis, he said.

All the doctors were entitled to avail opportunity of working on professional posts with international organisations but department can be benefited from their experience only when they revert to their original posts in the department.