The Balochistan Health Department working on a war footing has issued orders for recruitment of over 1,026 doctors to address the critical shortage of medical staff and provide maximum healthcare cover to the people of the province.
According to details, 496 of the new inductees have been inducted as medical officers, 382 lady medical officers, and 148 dental surgeons. Eight District Headquarters (DHQs) have been declared as teaching and Post Graduate Medical Institutes (PGMIs). Over 250 FCPS/MCPS qualified doctors have also been selected and will be posted in 11 teachings hospitals and PGMIs.
The Children Hospital Quetta has been made fully functional recently by placing well-qualified Processors and Consultants, which will address the shortage of doctors in the province and strengthen the healthcare delivery system. Besides uplifting several hospitals, the government of Balochistan has initiated a process to fill hundreds of vacant posts of doctors and healthcare staff, in a move described by Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan as “revolutionary steps” to improve healthcare in the province.
The government has allocated Rs50 million each for these hospitals. The amount would be used to uplift the infrastructure and equip them with modern facilities. The procurement committees have already been formed to accomplish the process. The new teaching hospitals are located at Loralai, Kech, Khuzdar, Zhob, Qilla Abdullah, Sibbi, Naseerabad, Kalat, Jam Ghulam Qadir Hospital Hub, Noshki and Panjgur. Also, considering the crucial need to enhance testing capacity for COVID-19, the provincial government has decided to establish nine Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) laboratories in Balochistan.
