Following a vehement protest by the medical community, the Governor of Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) has opted to reduce the retirement age for doctors in the region.

The provincial assembly initially passed a bill, increasing the retirement age of doctors by five years to 65. Subsequently, the GB government issued a notification endorsing the bill, extending the retirement age of clinical staff, including doctors, BSN nurses, and technicians in radiology, anesthesia, and ICU.

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However, the GB Young Doctors’ Association and the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) vehemently rejected the notification, denouncing it as a “black law.” They expressed concerns that it could hinder the recruitment of new doctors and impede the promotion of junior doctors, leading them to announce a boycott of outpatient departments (OPDs) across all government hospitals.

In response to the strong opposition, Chief Minister Gulbar Khan issued orders against the implementation of the decision. Subsequently, Governor GB Syed Mehdi Shah has issued an ordinance, utilizing Article-74 of the Government of Gilgit-Baltistan Order, 2018, to revoke the earlier order that had set the retirement age at 65.