Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Cheema has given the green light to a comprehensive plan to enhance public service delivery by hiring 619 women multipurpose health workers under the Department of Health and Family Welfare. These positions involve a mix of direct recruitment and promotions within the department. Among the vacancies, 220 posts have been open for less than a year, while 346 positions are set aside for promotions from trained dai to multipurpose health worker roles.
Cheema disclosed that 53 direct recruitment posts, which had been unfilled for over a year and subsequently removed as per the Finance Department’s guidelines, will be reinstated pending approval from the Council of Ministers. The health workers will be placed in the pay scale of Rs 21,700 – 69,100 at Level-3 in accordance with the Punjab Health and Family Welfare Technical (Group-C) Service (First Amendment) Rules, 2025.
To expedite the recruitment process, the state government has opted to bypass the Punjab Subordinate Services Selection Board and conduct the hiring directly through the Baba Farid University of Health Sciences in Faridkot. This decision was made to avoid delays typically associated with the selection board’s procedures. The Finance Minister estimated that filling these health sector positions will lead to an additional annual financial burden of around Rs 16.12 crore during the mandatory probation period.
In a separate move focusing on the industrial sector, Cheema also approved a proposal from the Department of Industries to revive essential direct recruitment cadres to uphold operational efficiency.
