Appointment in the Rawalpindi Health Department on political basis is on the rise due to which the health delivery facilities have failed to provide relief to the poor masses.
Currently, there are three offices of the provincial government, the district Health Department, the district health officer and the executive district officer (health) in the Rawalpindi district. Appointment of heads on all these positions was conducted on political basis which was openly violating the rules and regulations and the Health Act.
Sources said that a senior officer of grade-19 was appointed as the district health officer in the divisional headquarters but in a blatant incident of disregard for rules, a junior officer of the same grade had been working on the post for the last five years.
Likewise, the EDO health was a grade-20 post, but a junior officer of grade-19 was appointed on it and had been on the post for the last eight years despite the fact that transfer after three years was mandatory.
It should be mentioned here that non-transfer on the important position of DHO and EDO in the district health department after the completion of a tenure indicated political intervention which resulted in poor health delivery services in the city.