Recruitment freeze in health ministry jeopardizes public health projects, wastes billions

M. Waqar Bhatti:

Islamabad: Critical public health projects worth billions of rupees are at risk of stagnation as the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination (MoNHSR&C) halts recruitment processes across several key institutions—including the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) and the National Institute of Health (NIH)—jeopardizing regulatory reforms, surveillance operations, and primary healthcare expansion.

The decision, reportedly made by Federal Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal, has disrupted ongoing recruitments at DRAP, which had initiated hiring for more than 100 officer-level positions through the Higher Education Commission (HEC) after paying millions of rupees for the process.

Major shakeup in health ministry as special secretary also removed after secretary health quit

With the recruitment now reaching the interview stage, the process has reportedly been suspended on the minister’s verbal instructions.

This move could severely affect DRAP’s bid to achieve the World Health Organization’s Level III maturity status—a global benchmark critical for international recognition and cooperation.

Presently, DRAP has only four Federal Inspectors of Drugs (FIDs) regulating hundreds of pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities across the country. Experts say at least 50 FIDs are required to meet global regulatory standards.

“This freeze will slow down DRAP’s operations and reinforce existing criticism about delays in licensing, regulation, and inspection,” an official said.

A similar crisis is unfolding at NIH, where an acute shortage of manpower has stalled operations of vital national projects. Officials confirmed that NIH’s Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response (IDSR) initiative was ordered to halt all recruitment efforts, despite the growing importance of real-time disease tracking amid global public health threats.

Furthermore, the summary for the long-awaited appointment of the NIH Board of Governors (BoG) was recalled by the minister—a move that has triggered alarm among public health experts.

The Senate Standing Committee on Health had earlier recommended swift, merit-based appointments to the NIH BoG to enhance governance and operational efficiency. “This reversal only deepens the vacuum in public health leadership,” said a senior NIH official.

On the other hand, at the local level, the Health Department Islamabad (DHO Office) is facing its own crisis. Having spent billions of rupees under PSDP-funded projects to build and equip dozens of primary healthcare facilities across Islamabad, the department’s plans to operationalize these units have come to a standstill due to the recruitment freeze.

Screening tests and interviews for doctors, nurses, and paramedics had already been conducted by the Health Services Academy (HSA), which reportedly charged Rs35 million for overseeing the process.

“Furniture, equipment, and infrastructure are ready—but without staff, these facilities are just empty buildings,” an official said. “This is a massive waste of public funds.”

The freeze extends to the Drug Control Section of the Islamabad Health Department, which currently has only three drug inspectors tasked with regulating over 1,400 drug sale establishments.

A PSDP project titled Strengthening of Drug Control in ICT was launched last year to bolster this critical unit, creating posts for three more drug inspectors and three pharmacovigilance officers. Written tests and interviews were conducted, but the process has now been paused indefinitely.

“This puts critical regulatory functions at risk, especially in a city where the unchecked sale of unregistered and substandard drugs remains a public health threat,” warned a department official.

Health professionals and stakeholders across the board are expressing serious concern over the abrupt halting of these processes. “Without human resources, none of these reforms, projects, or facilities can serve their purpose,” said a senior federal official. “You cannot build a healthcare system on empty rooms and paper plans.”

With billions already spent and Pakistan’s progress toward WHO benchmarks and Universal Health Coverage (UHC) goals hanging in the balance, experts are urging the federal government to immediately lift the freeze and resume recruitments on a merit-based, transparent basis to prevent further damage.