KARACHI: The promotion process at the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) has come under scrutiny following conflicting official orders, allegations of irregularities, and complaints of illegal money collection from candidates, though the timely intervention of the newly appointed Executive Director, Prof. Khalid Sher, has been widely seen as a positive step towards upholding merit and transparency in the institution.
Official documents show that JPMC has convened a Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC) meeting on January 7, 2026, to consider promotions of officials from BPS-2 to BPS-15. The meeting is to be chaired by the Executive Director JPMC and includes senior hospital officers along with representatives from the Services and Health Departments of the Government of Sindh.
Prior to the DPC meeting, the administration issued Special Daily Orders related to promotion to the post of Lower Division Clerk (LDC-BPS-11). A Special Daily Order dated December 31, 2025, restricted eligibility to permanent employees from BPS-1 to BPS-4, subject to specific criteria including Intermediate qualification, a minimum typing speed of 30 words per minute, and basic computer literacy. A typing test was scheduled for January 3, 2026, at the New School of Nursing, JPMC.
Subsequently, a second Special Daily Order dated January 5, 2026, announced that the typing test had been rescheduled to January 6 after complaints were received by higher authorities.
According to sources within JPMC, these complaints alleged that certain nursing and paramedical staff leaders were minting money from candidates in exchange for facilitating their participation or prospects in the promotion-related typing test.
The sequence of orders raised concern among employees, particularly as post-specific testing was initiated before formal deliberation by the DPC, which under existing Sindh service rules is the competent authority to process promotions on the basis of seniority-cum-fitness and approved criteria.
Employees also questioned the restriction of eligibility to BPS-1 to BPS-4 staff for LDC promotion, despite the DPC notice referring to a wider range of grades from BPS-2 to BPS-15.
Amid these concerns, the role of the newly appointed Executive Director, Prof. Khalid Sher, has been viewed positively by many within the institution. Sources say that upon receiving complaints regarding alleged financial irregularities, Prof. Khalid Sher promptly intervened and cancelled the scheduled typing test to prevent any compromise of merit. His decision is being seen as a clear signal that the current management intends to enforce transparency and strictly adhere to merit-based promotions at JPMC.
Employees and observers believe that the cancellation of the test in response to complaints reflects an effort by the new leadership to break away from past practices and ensure that all promotion matters are handled strictly through the DPC in accordance with rules.
The JPMC administration has yet to issue a formal public statement addressing the allegations or clarifying how promotion-related tests and criteria will be aligned with the upcoming DPC meeting. However, the developments have placed the promotion process under close watch, with staff expecting that the committee’s decisions will reinforce merit, accountability, and institutional integrity at one of Sindh’s largest public-sector hospitals.
