Affected positions include medical officers, anesthetists, gynecologists, pediatricians, radiologists, nurses
ISLAMABAD: Despite completion of recruitment processes for hundreds of critical healthcare positions in Islamabad’s newly-constructed hospitals and health centres, hiring of staff has come a halt, rendering these facilities non-functional and shifting the entire burden to the already overwhelmed public hospitals including PIMS, Polyclinic, and CDA Hospital.
The advertised posts, part of various PSDP-funded projects, were meant for the Basic Health Units (BHUs), Community Health Centres (CHCs), and the Drug Control Section of the District Health Office, Islamabad.
The Health Services Academy (HSA) was tasked with conducting the recruitment process, which included written examinations, shortlisting of candidates, and submission of final names to the ministry. However, without any formal notification, the ministry directed the District Health Office, Islamabad to discard the completed process and re-advertise all positions.
“We have been directed by the ministry to stop the process and re-advertise all positions. When we requested written orders, none were provided,” said an official from the DHO Islamabad, requesting anonymity. Attempts were made to get government’s point of view on this issue failed.
The affected positions include medical officers, anesthetists, gynecologists, pediatricians, radiologists, nurses, pharmacists, lady health visitors, computer operators, and junior technicians.
These professionals were to be appointed to newly-completed and fully-equipped healthcare centres in Gokina, Bhaddana Kalan, Bari Imam, and I-13, which were built to decentralize healthcare access and ease the patient load on major hospitals in the federal capital.
Despite the availability of infrastructure, medical equipment, and furniture, the facilities remain shut due to the absence of appointed staff.
The recruitment exercise, conducted by the HSA, reportedly cost the federal exchequer Rs35 million.
A senior official familiar with the development remarked that it was “baffling” to discard such a massive effort without any explanation or documentation, especially when critical healthcare infrastructure is being left idle and essential services delayed.
The freeze has also paralyzed the long-anticipated strengthening of the Drug Control Section in Islamabad, where new posts were to be created for pharmacovigilance officers, inspectors, and supporting staff.
The section, responsible for monitoring more than 1,400 drug outlets across the capital, is currently operating with just three inspectors — far short of what is required to regulate the sale of unregistered, counterfeit, or substandard medicines.
“This move compromises public health and weakens regulatory enforcement on drug sales in Islamabad,” said another official at the DHO office. This is not an isolated case, as similar recruitment suspensions have been reported in other key federal institutions.
At the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP), over 100 officer-level appointments remain stalled, threatening the authority’s efforts to achieve the World Health Organization’s Level III maturity standards.
Likewise, the National Institute of Health (NIH) has also experienced a freeze in hiring under its Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response (IDSR) project, undermining real-time disease tracking and epidemic response.
Healthcare professionals and civil society organisations have raised serious concerns over these administrative decisions, calling them politically motivated and detrimental to public health.
“How can we achieve universal health coverage or improve service delivery when the functional hospitals are kept idle and trained professionals are kept jobless?” questioned a former health minister.
To seek clarification, this correspondent reached out to Federal Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal, senior ministry officials, and the ministry’s spokesperson Sajid Hussain Shah.
They were asked why the recruitment process for fully completed health facilities in Islamabad was halted after written tests and shortlisting had been conducted, and what justification the ministry had for ordering a re-advertisement of posts without issuing formal written instructions.
Another question raised was who would be held accountable for the Rs35 million spent on the recruitment process carried out by the Health Services Academy if it is now being discarded.
However, no response was received from any of them till the filing of this report.
As the situation drags on, pressure is mounting on the federal government to lift the unofficial freeze, issue formal orders, and allow appointments to proceed transparently and efficiently—before millions spent on healthcare infrastructure and recruitment go to waste.