PHC orders regularisation of 16 health workers’ services

PESHAWAR: A two-member bench of the Peshawar High Court on Thursday ordered regularization of the services of a female medical technician along with 15 others in a Basic Health Unit (BHU) in Chitral district.

The bench consisted of Justice Lal Jan and Justice Naeem Anwar. The petition was filed through Saifullah Muhib Kakakhel and Zeenat Muhib Kakakhel. Sultan Amina, currently serving as a female Medical Technician in Rech BHU in Chitral, had moved the court against advertisement of her post changing its nomenclature. The lawyers for the petitioners argued that BHUs were handed over to Sarhad Rural Development Programme (SRSP) and petitioners along with doctors and premedical staff were appointed there. Later, the government took back the units from the SRSP.

The petitioners were appointed as Medical Technicians with relevant diplomas and experience. However, the criteria in the new advertisements was slightly changed to drive out petitioners already in service. The lawyers argued that new criteria cannot be implemented retrospectively and the same old criteria was applicable to the petitioners. They argued the petitioners had a vested right to these posts and they cannot be done away with just to accommodate the favoured ones by the government.