GCDA seeks clarification on DG Health Punjab dissolution rumours

LAHORE: The General Cadre Doctors Association (GCDA) Punjab has expressed grave concerns over rumours circulating about the potential dissolution of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) Punjab, warning that any such move would severely impact healthcare delivery across the province and jeopardize the future of general cadre doctors.

Speaking at an emergency meeting of the GCDA Executive Committee, President Dr. Masood Sheikh emphasized that the government must issue an immediate clarification to dispel these rumors, stressing that all key stakeholders must be taken into confidence before any policy decision is finalized.

He stated that even considering the dissolution of the DGHS is an injustice to general cadre doctors and risks triggering widespread unrest within the provincial healthcare sector, adding that preserving the structural integrity of this 172-year-old institution is vital for the overarching interest of both the medical community and patients.

​Echoing these concerns, GCDA Board Chairman Dr. Fayyaz Ahmed Ranjha noted that the institution’s status had already undergone changes during the bifurcation of the health department in 2015–16, arguing that further administrative alterations would be highly counterproductive.

He maintained that the DG Health Office effectively manages the administrative affairs of all districts in Punjab and oversees numerous public health programs essential for addressing the province’s healthcare challenges.

Furthermore, Dr. Javed Mumtaz cautioned against abruptly dismantling or restructuring deeply entrenched medical projects, noting that no other province in Pakistan has taken such a step, which would only exacerbate existing administrative issues rather than resolving them.

Detailing the historical background of the institution, Dr. Munir Ghauri and Dr. Waqar outlined that the directorate was established initially in 1854 as the Directorate General of Prisons and Dispensaries, upgraded to the Inspector General of Dispensaries in 1880, redesignated as the Directorate of Health Services Punjab in 1949, and finally elevated to its current status as the Directorate General of Health Services Punjab in 1989 to optimize healthcare delivery.

The GCDA leadership concluded by formally appealing to the Prime Minister of Pakistan, the Chief Minister of Punjab, and Chief of Army Staff General Syed Asim Munir, stating that instead of resolving the long-standing grievances of general cadre doctors, attempts to multiply their challenges would be highly unacceptable.