72 Balochistan Doctors Dismissed Over Absence
Balochistan doctors dismissed from government service now number 72 more, after the provincial Health Department sacked medical officers and senior medical officers for prolonged absence from duty. The dismissals, announced on Saturday, were made under an artificial intelligence based attendance system that the province has introduced for the first time in its health department.
Dawn reported that the action was taken under Section 4(B)(viii) of the Balochistan Employees’ Efficiency and Disciplinary Act, 2011. The dismissed staff were medical officers in BPS-17 and senior medical officers in BPS-18, and their dismissal orders took immediate effect.
How Balochistan doctors dismissed were identified
The Health Department said the doctors had been absent from government duty without authorisation. Health Secretary Mujeeb-ur-Rehman issued the notification, and Health Minister Bakht Muhammad Kakar said the doctors had repeatedly been given notices telling them to report for duty, but they had failed to respond. Their continued absence, and their failure to answer those notices, left the government with no option but to act, he said.
“We have zero tolerance for absenteeism and negligence among medical staff and doctors in the performance of their official duties,” Kakar said. He added that the department was working to give people the best possible healthcare facilities at their doorsteps, and that reforms were under way on the instructions of Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti.
Chief Minister Bugti announced the AI attendance system himself, saying it was being used in the provincial health department for the first time to monitor attendance and improve accountability. He also gave the wider figures behind the crackdown. The total number of health employees dismissed has now reached 200, and Rs410 million has been deducted from employees’ salaries over absenteeism and disciplinary violations. Notices have gone to 11,000 employees seeking explanations for attendance and disciplinary breaches, and departmental action is under way against another 800 employees.
“No government employee will be allowed to draw a salary while staying at home,” Bugti said, in remarks carried by ARY News. The same crackdown has reached beyond hospitals: the Balochistan Prisons Department has dismissed 30 employees, including 20 wardens, over prolonged absence and negligence, according to The Express Tribune’s account of the same day’s action.
Why the province says the system was needed
Absenteeism in public hospitals hits patients first. When a doctor does not turn up at a rural health centre or a district hospital, patients travel long distances for nothing. Balochistan’s health system already struggles with distance and staffing gaps, so an empty post matters more there than in a city with many clinics nearby. The AI system is meant to close that gap by recording who actually reports for duty, rather than relying on paper registers.
The doctors’ side of the argument
The crackdown has not gone unchallenged. Earlier this month, a delegation from the Pakistan Medical Association in Balochistan met National Party president Dr Abdul Malik Baloch and raised concerns about the same AI attendance system. The delegation said the PMA strongly opposed absenteeism, but the system did not match ground realities in Balochistan and was creating difficulties even for doctors who performed their duties regularly.
That concern matters for how the new system is judged. A tool that flags genuine absence helps patients, but one that punishes doctors for faulty records would damage the same service. The government has not yet published details of any appeal route.
What happens next in Balochistan’s health department
The immediate test is whether attendance improves where the dismissed doctors worked. If posts are filled, patients should see a difference quickly. If posts stay vacant, some facilities could be worse off in the short term.
Frequently asked questions
Why were 72 Balochistan doctors dismissed?
They were dismissed for prolonged unauthorised absence, under the Balochistan Employees’ Efficiency and Disciplinary Act, 2011, after repeated notices to report for duty.
What is the AI attendance system in Balochistan?
It is an artificial intelligence based system introduced for the first time in the provincial health department to monitor staff attendance at government hospitals and health centres.
How many employees have been dismissed in total?
The total number of health employees dismissed has reached 200. In addition, Rs410 million has been deducted from salaries, 11,000 employees have received notices, and action is under way against 800 more.
Can the dismissed doctors challenge the decision?
The reports so far do not set out an appeal route, and the government has not published details of any appeal process for these cases.
