KARACHI: The administration of Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) has issued show-cause notices to 39 doctors after they were found absent from their duties during the morning shift on Thursday.
According to official documents received by the Health Matters team, Executive Director JPMC Prof. Dr. Shahid Rasul conducted a surprise round of inspection in the hospital’s Surgical Outpatient Department (OPD) at 10:30 a.m., where several senior professors, associate and assistant professors, and medical officers were not present in their respective OPDs.
The absentee doctors belonged to multiple key departments, including Orthopedic Surgery, Neurosurgery, Medical ICU (Ward-23), Dentistry, and ENT (Ear, Nose & Throat).
The inspection report listed:
- 19 doctors from the Orthopedic OPD,
- 5 doctors from the Neurosurgery OPD,
- 6 doctors from the Medical ICU/Ward-23 OPD,
- 4 doctors from the Dentistry OPD, and
- 3 doctors from the ENT OPD — bringing the total to 39 doctors found absent.
Sources within JPMC said the issue of doctors arriving late or remaining absent during morning hours has been a recurring problem, causing serious inconvenience to patients who travel from far-flung areas for consultations and treatment.
Following the inspection, Prof. Dr. Shahid Rasul ordered disciplinary action and directed that show-cause notices be issued to all 39 absent doctors, seeking written explanations for their absence from duty.
Hospital officials stated that strict monitoring of attendance will continue to ensure accountability and uninterrupted patient care at JPMC.
