Appointment of doctors in KTH without PMDC certificate stayed

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Wednesday stopped the appointments of the doctors in the Khyber Teaching Hospital (KTH)’s Orthopaedic Department if they do not have the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC)’s level-four certificate.

A two-member bench comprising Justice Abdul Shakoor and Justice Syed Muhammad Attique Shah issued the order and sought reply from the hospital administration.

The court issued the stay order in a writ petition filed by Dr Muhammad Shoaib, associate professor in Orthopaedic Department of the hospital.

During the course of hearing, the petitioner’s lawyer Khalid Anwar submitted before the bench that the petitioner was associate professor in the hospital. He argued that a summary had been approved for establishment of a third ward in Orthopaedic Department of the hospital, but later the Board of Governors (BOG), in violation of the chief minister’s decision, approved setting up of a sub-specialty, which required the PMDC’s fourth-level certificate.

He said that a majority of the doctors did not have the certificate.  said the appointment of doctors not having the certificate was illegal and against the law.

Political agent put on notice: Another bench comprising Justice Lal Jan Khattak and Justice Abdul Shakoor issued a contempt of court notice to the political agent of Bajaur Agency and directed him to submit reply.

The court issued the notice in the petition filed by two Subedars of Bajaur Levies, Bacha Khan and Abdur Rehman, through their lawyer Barrister Kamran Qaiser.

The lawyer submitted that the high court on July 4, 2017 had ordered the political agent to induct people on posts of Subedar Major on merit, but he allegedly ignored the court direction.

The lawyer told the court that the political agent had allegedly appointed unqualified people as Subedar Major instead of the petitioners, who claimed to be qualified for the posts.