Balochistan sacks 72 more doctors over absenteeism

The Balochistan government has dismissed another 72 doctors for remaining absent from duty for extended periods, taking the total number of Health Department employees terminated over absenteeism to 200.

Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti announced the latest action, alongside plans to introduce an artificial intelligence-based attendance system in the provincial Health Department to improve monitoring and enforce discipline among government employees.

In a statement posted on X, Bugti said the provincial government had stepped up action against employees who failed to fulfil their official responsibilities. He said the new attendance mechanism would help ensure punctuality and strengthen accountability across the department.

The chief minister also revealed that Rs410 million had been deducted from the salaries of government employees over violations of attendance and disciplinary rules.

According to Bugti, around 11,000 employees have received notices seeking explanations for their absence from duty and alleged negligence. Departmental proceedings are also underway against another 800 employees over suspected violations of service regulations.

Bugti said public-sector employees were responsible for serving citizens and must perform their duties honestly and regularly. He stressed that no government employee would be allowed to draw a salary without attending work and fulfilling assigned responsibilities.

He added that prolonged absence, negligence and failure to deliver public services would not be tolerated. The government intends to continue disciplinary measures to improve administrative performance and ensure better service delivery.

The proposed AI-based attendance system is expected to provide a technology-driven mechanism for tracking staff attendance, particularly in public healthcare facilities where the presence of doctors and other medical personnel is essential for patient care.