Age limit for contract appointments increased to 65; recruitment deadline set for June 30
LAHORE — In response to a critical shortage of teaching staff across public-sector medical colleges, the Punjab government has approved the contract-based hiring of retired professors and specialists to fill key faculty gaps.
An official notification issued by the Punjab Health Department confirmed that the upper age limit for such contractual appointments has been raised to 65 years, enabling the province to immediately tap into experienced medical educators in fields suffering the worst staffing deficits.
According to the Health Department, 36 government medical colleges and affiliated teaching hospitals have been instructed to expedite the recruitment process and complete all hiring by June 30.
The shortage has hit departments such as cardiology, paediatric and cardiac surgery, pulmonology, oncology, anaesthesia, forensic medicine, biochemistry, and others, prompting urgent measures to ensure academic and clinical functions continue without disruption.
At least 12 critical departments have been prioritised for this round of hiring, with particular focus on appointing associate professors where gaps are most severe.
A letter circulated to the institutions clarified that these contractual positions will be temporary, and automatically terminated once regular appointments are made through the standard recruitment process.
Health officials said the decision aims to stabilise medical education and hospital services while longer-term staffing solutions are implemented.
