The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa health department has started transferring doctors to the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) as part of the merger plan with KP.
According to a local media report, the first transfer order was issued by the health secretary on September 13.
Officials said that health department was facing problems in the implementation of the merger plan as the Directorate of the health of former FATA was unwilling to become part of the province. It was reported that more transfers and postings are in the pipeline as by orders from the government.
On June 28, the health department issued a letter to FATA health authorities that they were no longer an independent entity after the passage of the amendment by the government and said that “seven agencies previously part of the FATA should be integrated with the province but the high-ups of Directorate of FATA escaped the meeting much to the embracement of the top provincial health officials”.
It was reported that there were 979 health facilities in the tribal districts. The area has 8,796 health employees including 108 posts of specialist doctors but 84 of those are vacant. 50 posts of women medical officers and about 200 lady health workers and nurses are also unfilled in the tribal districts.
