G-B govt raises retirement age for health dept employees

GILGIT: The Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) government has issued a notification increasing the retirement age of specialist doctors, nurses, and technical staff in the health department to 65 years, a private TV channel reported on Wednesday.

The notification was issued by the G-B government in a bid to address the shortage of health workers in the region, which has been facing challenges in providing adequate health care services to its population.

The G-B government’s decision follows the federal government’s proposal to extend the retirement age for government employees from 60 to 62 years, which was approved by the National Assembly in July.

The proposal was aimed at reducing the pension bill and retaining experienced and skilled staff in the public sector.

However, it faced opposition from some quarters, who argued that it would affect the promotion prospects of younger employees and create unemployment.

The retirement age for government employees in Pakistan varies according to their service rules and regulations.

According to the Civil Service Regulations, an officer is required to retire on attaining the age of 60 years or after completing 25 years of service, whichever is earlier.

However, some exceptions and relaxations are allowed for certain categories of employees, such as judges, teachers, scientists, and security personnel.

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For example, the retirement age for judges of the Supreme Court and high courts is 65 years, while that for teachers of universities and colleges is 62 years.

The retirement age for government employees is also different in some provinces. For instance, the Sindh government lowered the retirement age for its employees to 55 years or after completing 25 years of service.

The move was intended to create more job opportunities for the youth and reduce the pension burden on the provincial exchequer.