ISLAMABAD: The upper house of the parliament on Monday unanimously demanded that 1,300 vacant posts at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) should be filled immediately.

While tabling a resolution, the senator, Sardar Mohammad Azam Khan Musakhel, said the vacancies had not only been affecting the performance of the hospital but creating administrative problems as well.

The resolution also demanded strict observance of the provincial quota while making appointments at the hospital.

Although the resolution is a recommendation, the Senate can seek progress report on the resolution.

During the last financial year, the management of Pims tried to fill vacancies and also advertised them but the Ministry of Capital Administration and Development Division (CADD) stopped the process because it required a no-objection certificate (NOC). A summery for an NOC was moved to the Establishment Division through CADD some six months ago, but to no avail.

Pims Vice Chancellor Dr Javed Akram while talking to Dawn appreciated the resolution and expressed the hope that the resolution would remove bureaucratic hurdles to filling the vacant posts.

`With the appointments of doctors, nurses, paramedics, security and sanitary staff, the patients care at the hospital will improve,` he claimed. A Reporter