Three months on, new doctors await appointment letters

Hundreds of newly recruited doctors in the state are growing restless as the government continues to delay the issuance of appointment letters.

The recruitment exam was conducted nearly three months ago and their documents were verified around 50 days ago.

The PCMS (Medical Officer) recruitment exam was held on June 3, 2025, and the Baba Farid University of Health Sciences (BFUHS) concluded the verification of documents of 1,738 shortlisted candidates on July 4. The list included 1,017 candidates from the general category, 348 Scheduled Castes, 191 Backward Classes, 19 from the Economically Weaker Section, and others.

The complete verification list was then forwarded to the office of the Director, Health and Family Welfare Department, Chandigarh, the final authority to issue appointment letters to 1,000 medical officers. However, despite the process being almost complete, the Director’s office has not released the joining letters. Repeated attempts by aspirants to contact the department, including via emails to the Health Minister, CMO Punjab, and senior officials, have yielded no result.

“The delay is causing deep frustration. We are ready to serve in government hospitals, but are left waiting without any clarity,” said one of the aspirants.

The PCMS Association, led by president Dr Akhil Sarin and vice-president Dr Simran Dhaliwal, has taken up the matter with the Health Department and is pressing for an early resolution.

A senior official in the department said the process was nearly complete. A final nod from the Chief Minister’s office was awaited before the appointment letters could be formally issued.