Facing a severe shortage of teaching staff in public medical colleges, the Punjab government has decided to recruit retired teachers on contract in critical departments across the province.
The move comes as dozens of government-run medical institutions report a dire lack of faculty in essential disciplines, including cardiac and paediatric surgery, pulmonology, oncology, cardiology, biochemistry, forensic medicine, and anaesthesia.
To facilitate the emergency hiring, the age limit for contract-based recruitment of retired teachers has been raised to 65 years, according to an official notification issued by the Punjab Health Department.
The health department has formally directed all 36 government medical colleges and teaching hospitals in the province to complete the recruitment process by June 30. Teachers will be recruited in at least 12 critical departments, with a particular focus on hiring associate professors in areas facing the most acute staff shortages.
A letter sent to medical institutions by the Punjab Health Department outlines that the contracts of the retired teachers will be terminated automatically once permanent faculty members are appointed.
