PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa health department has ordered authorities to immediately initiate the process for the promotion of employees.

In a notification, the health secretariat has asked the vice chancellor of the Khyber Medical University, directors of all medical teaching institutions, healthcare commission, director-generals of health services and provincial Health Services Academy, and heads of other allied sections to immediately initiate the “processing of both internal and external promotion cases as the competent authority has shown immense concern over delay in promotions.”

It said that expediting the processes of deserving promotions and to facilitate the functions of the department, all cases for promotions be finalized till April 11. It said that all promotion cases that may come under the health department may kindly be compiled and forwarded without delay for further necessary action before the deadline.

Sources said that the hundreds of doctors and other employees have been waiting for promotions. These included cases of senior employees whose promotions were long overdue and were nearing retirement.

PDA urges govt to give doctors positions to which they’ve already been promoted

They said the department had over 2,600 health facilities and 60,000 employees whose promotion cases will be sent by their immediate bosses such as district health officers, medical superintendents and directors, while MTIs would be required to expedite the cases of promotions on their own and take action.

The sources said many consultants had been working in MTIs but they were the employees of the health department, so MTIs would forward their cases to the department.

The Provincial Doctors Association has welcomed the move but complained that promotions of medics had been delayed without reason since the last three meetings of the provincial selection boards were held, affecting senior employees.

It added that 15 management cadre doctors were promoted from BPS-19 to BPS-20 in Sept 2024 but they had yet not been posted.

“The promotion of these medics has been approved on the recommendation of the provincial selection board but they continue to work in their previous grades,” the PDA said in a statement.

The association said that there were more than 4,000 doctors who needed to be promoted to BPS-18 from BPS-17 and under the formula, 700 would get promotions.

It added that the general cadre doctors who worked in BPS-18 totaled more than 400, while 250 seats in BPS-19 were vacant.

The PDA pointed out that 62 management cadre doctors needed to be promoted from BPS-18 to BPS-19 and the number of available positions was 75, while around 40 general cadre doctors in BPS-19 awaited promotion.

It added that 35 dental surgeons had been waiting to be promoted from BPS-17 to BPS-18 for the last four years, while the tally of district specialists of different cadres awaiting promotion was almost 50.

The association requested the government to immediately assign doctors the positions to which they have already been promoted and start the process for the remaining ones to remove unrest among them.

Sources said that the health department recently issued promotion orders of the paramedics after a long delay, but the majority of the cases had been facing delays due to DHOs, MSs, directors and other immediate bosses who were required to send the cases to the department immediately.

They added that many employees had been trying to pursue their cases on a personal basis but the department had decided to promote all employees on the basis of “merit.”

Published in Dawn, April 6th, 2025