CDA Hospital struggles to tend to patients as key positions remain vacant

ISLAMABAD: The Capital Development Authority (CDA) Hospital, the only public healthcare facility in Islamabad dedicated to providing free medical treatment to the civic agency’s serving and retired employees and their families, has been grappling with prolonged staff shortages as several key medical positions remain vacant.

Minister for Interior Mohsin Naqvi talking about the vacant positions at the Capital Hospital, said that 40 posts across various grades, including grades 18 to 20, were currently unfilled in the hospital’s multiple departments.

He shared the information in response to a question raised by Senator Kamran Murtaza in the Senate.

He said that among the vacant positions, several are under grade-19, which poses significant challenges to the hospital’s operational efficiency.

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Specifically, 22 posts in grade-18, 12 in grade-19, and six in grade-20 remain unfulfilled. Efforts are under way to address these shortages through promotions and new recruitments, the minister said.

He further explained that promotion cases were being processed by the Human Resources Directorate (HRD). The necessary prerequisites were being fulfilled to ensure compliance with established criteria, the minister said assuring that these cases would be finalised soon after completing all required formalities.

“The government is committed to ensuring the smooth functioning of vital public services, particularly in the health sector, which has been under strain due to staffing shortages,” the minister said.

The completion of these promotions is expected to bolster the hospital’s workforce, enhancing its ability to meet the growing healthcare needs of the civic body employees and other residents, he said.

Operating under the administrative control of the Capital Development Authority, the CDA Hospital serves as a crucial healthcare provider for employees and retired employees and their dependents, including unmarried children and unemployed sons.

Filling these critical positions, especially in senior grades, is seen as a necessary step to improve operational efficiency and ensure the delivery of quality healthcare services to those who depend on this facility.