Permanent employment for doctors in government teaching hospitals has come to an end. Authorities have decided to hire Senior Registrars on contract instead of recruiting them into permanent positions through the Public Service Commission, closing one of the main career routes in public-sector medicine.
Under the decision, Senior Registrars in medicine, surgery and other departments will now be recruited on three-year contracts. The end of permanent doctor jobs means the Public Service Commission will no longer be the gateway to secure, long-term posts in teaching hospitals.
Permanent doctor jobs: what changes on the ground
The shift is structural, not cosmetic. A permanent post through the Public Service Commission carried job security, a defined promotion path and pension-linked benefits. A three-year contract offers none of that permanence, and renewal will depend on the administration’s needs and assessments at the time.
Doctors have reportedly lost interest in the government health sector over the decision. That reaction is easy to understand: teaching hospitals were one of the few places where a young doctor could combine clinical practice, teaching and a secure career in one post. Removing the permanent track makes private practice and emigration more attractive by comparison.
The bureaucracy is reportedly moving toward phasing out permanent employment for doctors in government hospitals more broadly, which would extend the contract model beyond teaching institutions.
A sector already under strain
The decision lands at a moment when relations between doctors and the state are already tense. The Pakistan Medical Association has condemned the registration of FIRs against doctors and healthcare staff, calling it harassment of the medical fraternity.
Adding contract-based hiring to that mix risks deepening the trust deficit. When doctors feel targeted by legal action on one hand and stripped of job security on the other, the incentive to stay in the public system weakens.
Public health has also taken hits on other fronts. Eleven members of a family in Khichiwala were hospitalised after consuming milk distributed under the CM Punjab Milk Program, a reminder of how thin the margin for error is in the health system that these very doctors staff.
The honest caveat is that the government has not publicly explained the reasoning in detail. Contract hiring can, in theory, bring flexibility and performance accountability. But without a clear framework for renewal, pay parity and promotion, it reads to doctors as a downgrade. The test will be whether the three-year contracts come with credible terms or simply cheaper, more disposable staffing.
Frequently asked questions
What exactly has the government decided?
Senior Registrars in medicine, surgery and other departments at government teaching hospitals will now be hired on three-year contracts instead of permanent posts through the Public Service Commission.
Does this affect all government hospitals?
The decision covers teaching hospitals for now, but the bureaucracy is reportedly moving toward phasing out permanent employment for doctors in government hospitals more broadly.
How have doctors reacted?
Doctors have reportedly lost interest in the government health sector over the decision, seeing it as the removal of a secure career path in public medicine.
Why does this matter for patients?
Teaching hospitals train the next generation of doctors and handle complex cases. If experienced doctors leave the public system, it weakens both care and medical education.
