PESHAWAR (Kashmir English): The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Health Department has dismissed 30 medical officers over allegations of securing government jobs on the basis of fake Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) registrations and other illegal grounds during the PTI government’s first tenure.
According to official proceedings, departmental inquiries against the officers have been completed, and the penalty of dismissal from service has been upheld. Orders have also been issued for the recovery of salaries and other dues paid to the dismissed officers.
The medical officers were recruited in 2017 and subsequently regularized through an act of the provincial assembly. They were serving at various Basic Health Units (BHUs), Rural Health Centers (RHCs), Tehsil Headquarters Hospitals and other government health facilities across Charsadda, Khyber, Swabi, Lower Dir, Mansehra, Malakand, Swat, Upper Dir and Shangla.
Sources said some of the officers had previously obtained a stay order from the Dar-ul-Qaza circuit bench in Swat. However, the order has since lapsed, allowing the department to resume proceedings.
Following the lapse of the stay order, show-cause notices were issued to the concerned officers, providing them an opportunity to respond to the allegations. Their replies were examined alongside the available records and evidence.
Tauseef Khalid, Additional Secretary of the Finance Department, was appointed to conduct personal hearings under Rule 15. After reviewing the case records and hearing the officers, he recommended upholding the major penalty of dismissal. The recommendation was subsequently approved by the chief secretary under his authorized powers.
The list of dismissed officers includes Dr. Wajid Ali Shah, Dr. Muhammad Haroon Khan, Dr. Subhanullah, Dr. Ijaz Ahmed, Dr. Ashfaq Ahmed, Dr. Aqsa Ashraf, Dr. Waqar Ahmed, Dr. Rahim Khan, Dr. Usman Khan, Dr. Tala Hussain, Dr. Muhammad Qasim, Dr. Tariq Khan, Dr. Sher Azeem Shah, Dr. Sajjad Ali, Dr. Qaiser Rahim and Dr. Fazal Ahad, among others.
Sources further indicated that proceedings in the matter had previously been suspended but were subsequently reactivated by the Health Department. Criminal cases are also expected to be registered against the concerned medical officers.
The development has raised questions about recruitment and verification procedures in the provincial health sector during the period in question. The allegations and any potential criminal liability will be subject to the relevant legal proceedings.
