Over 800 Vacancies Lying Vacant - Dearth of employees affects JPMC’s working

MN Report

KARACHI - Over 800 posts of different cadres, including that of professors, doctors, paramedical staff, nurses and administrative staff, have been lying vacant in Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) since long, thereby badly affecting smooth functioning of the health facility.

Sources, who wished not to be quoted, told this scribe that acute shortage of employees in the hospital could be gauged from the fact that its 21 out of total 26 departments are being headed by assistant professors as, at present, there are only five professors at the health facility. Besides, over a dozen departments are being run by a single doctor, they added.

Holding previous administration of the JPMC responsible for the present poor state of affairs, the sources said that a number of professors, assistant professors, doctors and other staff have either retired or resigned in the last five years, but government has not yet managed to fill these vacant posts.

Claiming that some of the departments of the hospital are on the verge of closure, the sources said that the number of patients visiting the hospital has also declined considerably in the last five years merely because of shortage of specialist doctors.

JPMC’s deputy director (Administration) and focal person Dr Jawaid Jamali when contacted said that though a request for filling vacant posts and promotions of employees had been sent to Sindh health department, the matter was being delayed due to litigation.