The Punjab Specialised Healthcare Department has set strict age limits for postgraduate and fellowship medical training, effectively barring senior government-employed doctors from advancing in their careers, 24NewsHD TV reported.
Under the newly issued policy, doctors above 40 years of age will not be eligible for postgraduate training.
Those aged 45 years and above have been declared ineligible for the second fellowship programme.
This move is expected to have the greatest impact on senior doctors in public service, who now face limited opportunities for professional growth despite years of experience.
Healthcare professionals and associations are calling the age restrictions discriminatory, warning that the decision may undermine morale and reduce the pool of highly trained specialists in the country’s government hospitals.
Reporter: Zahid Chaudhry