Questions are being raised over healthcare services being provided with inadequate staff in federally administered hospitals.
ISLAMABAD: MNN
A large number of vacant posts have been revealed in various government healthcare institutions despite the positions having already been approved.
According to official figures, the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, PIMS Islamabad, has 2,453 approved posts, of which 1,490 are filled while 963 remain vacant.
At PIMS, 467 out of 852 approved doctors’ posts are filled, while 385 remain vacant. Similarly, 730 out of 1,093 nursing posts are filled, leaving 363 vacant.
The hospital also has 508 approved posts for paramedical staff, of which 293 are filled while 215 remain vacant.
At the Federal Government Polyclinic Islamabad, 893 out of 1,132 approved posts are filled, while 239 remain vacant.
The Polyclinic has 453 approved doctors’ posts, of which 363 are filled and 90 remain vacant. Similarly, 243 out of 288 nursing posts are filled, while 45 remain vacant.
Among paramedical staff, 287 out of 391 approved posts are filled, while 104 remain vacant.
At Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Medical University Islamabad, 132 out of 161 approved posts are filled, while 29 remain vacant.
The situation is also concerning at Shahdara Postgraduate Medical Institute Lahore, where only 793 out of 1,216 approved posts are filled and 423 remain vacant.
At the institute, only 47 out of 178 approved doctors’ posts are filled, leaving 131 vacant. Meanwhile, 287 out of 450 approved paramedical posts are filled, while 163 remain vacant.
At the Federal General Hospital Islamabad, 165 out of 212 approved posts are filled, while 47 remain vacant.
The District Health Department Islamabad has 393 approved posts, of which 239 are filled and 154 remain vacant.
According to official figures, around 39 percent of approved posts at PIMS Islamabad remain vacant. The District Health Department Islamabad also has around 39 percent vacant posts, while approximately 35 percent of approved positions at Shahdara Postgraduate Medical Institute Lahore remain vacant.
The question is: if these posts have already been approved, why is there a delay in filling them?
Is the shortage of staff not affecting the quality of healthcare services being provided to patients?
Hundreds of posts exist on paper, but a significant number remain vacant in practice, raising serious questions over the performance of the federal public healthcare system.
