Patiala, July 13 -- To address the acute shortage of medical specialists in government hospitals, the Punjab government has decided to recruit 100 retired medical specialists through walk-in interviews. This will be the first recruitment drive in the state after a gap of nearly three years. According to the Punjab health department's notification, the posts to be filled include 21 in paediatrics, 20 in general medicine, 20 in gynaecology, 15 in general surgery, 13 in anaesthesia, seven in radiology and four in psychiatry. The notification specifies that only retired specialist doctors aged between 58 and 64 years will be eligible to apply. The appointed consultants will receive remuneration equivalent to the last pay drawn, minus pension plus dearness allowance as admissible on the date of appointment. The initial contract will be for one year, extendable annually based on performance and subject to finance department's approval, reads the notification. A senior health department official, requesting anonymity, said, "This move will immediately solve the issue of shortage in some areas. Walk-in interviews will be on July 25 and the selected candidates will be given 15 days to join. We are in the process of advertising regular posts of medical specialists in the coming days." Punjab health minister Dr Balbir Singh said, "We have been making efforts to overcome shortage of the medical specialists. This is one of different types of recruitment to make up the shortage. We will also be advertising regular posts of medical specialists." The health department's decisionhas been met with discontent among young medical professionals. Many of them say they have been awaiting recruitment since 2022, when the last advertisement for regular posts was issued. Dr Mehtab Bal, a member of the Resident Doctors' Association, said, "We condemn this move. Young specialists are still waiting for employment opportunities, but the government is hiring retired medical specialists. Punjab CM himself had been opposing the re-employment policy and has always advocated for hiring young doctors." A specialist who completed post-graduation in 2023 from Government Medical College, Patiala, said: "I have been waiting for a government job for over a year." Retired civil surgeon Dr Daler Singh Multani also criticised the move, calling it a "stop-gap arrangement that has failed in the past." He added, "The work efficiency of retired doctors is usually not up to the mark. Rehired retirees usually have fewer responsibilities than regular young recruits, yet they often draw more pay. It's not an effective or sustainable solution." As per official data, out of 2,098 sanctioned posts for medical specialists in Punjab, only 1,108 are currently filled - leaving nearly half the positions vacant....