The Punjab Locum Hiring Act 2025

^{^[1]}THE PUNJAB LOCUM HIRING ACT 2025

(Act LXXXIX of 2025)

[12^th November 2025]

An Act to provide for quality healthcare services by making availability of specialized human resource on locum basis.

It is necessary to provide for quality healthcare services by making availability of specialized human resource on locum basis and for the matters connected therewith and ancillary thereto.

It is hereby enacted by Provincial Assembly of the Punjab as follows:

1. Short title, extent and commencement.– (1) This Act may be cited as the Punjab Locum Hiring Act 2025.

(2) It extends to whole of the Punjab.

(3) It shall come into force at once.

2. Definitions.– In the Act:

(a) “Act” means the Punjab Locum Hiring Act 2025;

(b) “clinical staff” means and includes healthcare professionals, nurses, physiotherapists, pharmacists, radiologists, and other allied health professionals employed in an Institution;

(d) “Government” means Government of the Punjab;

(e) “guidelines” means the guidelines issued under the Act;

(f) “Locum Policy Committee” means the Committee constituted under section 3 of the Act;

(g) “locum” means hiring of a medical doctor, specialist, or other clinical or non-clinical staff on a temporary, short-term or contract basis;

(h) “medical doctor” means an individual who holds a medical degree and is registered with the Pakistan Medical and Dental Counsel as a medical doctor;

(i) “non-clinical staff” means the staff other than the clinical staff;

(j) “prescribed" means prescribed by the rules made under the Act;

(k) “rules" means the rules made under the Act;

(l) “specialist” means a medical doctor who has completed advanced training in a specific field of medicine and holds recognized qualifications for that specialization; and

(m) “Institution” means a hospital or an institution under the administrative control of the Department.

3. Locum Policy Committee.– (1) There shall be the Locum Policy Committee consisting of the following:

(a)	Minister for Specialized Healthcare and Medical Education;	Chairperson
(b)	Secretary to the Government of the Department; and	Vice Chairperson/ Member
(c)	three eminent persons from the fields including legal, financial, human resource, management or medical profession.	Members

(2) The Chairperson and in his absence, the Vice Chairperson shall preside over the meetings of the Committee.

(3) The Members at clause (c) of sub-section (1), shall be nominated by the Chief Minister for a period of three years and eligible for another term of up to three years, however, they shall serve during the pleasure of the Chief Minister.

(4) The Members at clause (c) of sub-section (1), may resign from their offices before the expiry of tenure by submitting written resignation to the Chief Minister.

4. Functions of Locum Policy Committee.– (1) The Committee shall:

(a) identify areas and specialties of human resource deficiency; and

(b) approve the terms and conditions of hiring and extension in the period of hiring.

(2) The terms and conditions for hiring of the locum staff shall include but not limited to the following:

(a) term of hiring;

(b) package to be paid;

(d) liability for the losses for professional negligence and recovery of claims;

(e) termination clause; or

(f) any other condition deemed appropriate.

5. Hiring process.– (1) The Department may authorize the Punjab Health Initiative Management Company or University of Health Sciences, Lahore or any other entity to act as Special Purpose Vehicle to carry out the hiring under the Act.

(2) The hiring shall be based on a transparent and competitive process which may include but not limited to:

(a) advertisement in at least two daily newspapers, one in Urdu and other in English and through online portal specifying minimum and maximum age, educational qualifications, experience, number and title of the post, mode of hiring, duration of hiring, package and such other conditions as may be deemed necessary; and

(b) interview process or written examination or both to evaluate the candidate’s qualifications, experience, and suitability for the locum position.

(3) The Special Purpose Vehicle shall, after following the process, recommend the locum to the Department for hiring.

6. Selection Committee.– (1) Notwithstanding anything contained in section 5, the Department may process the hiring under the Act through the selection committee comprising of:

(a)	head of the concerned Institution;	convener
(b)	representative of the Department; and	Member
(c)	a subject specialist of the concerned field to be nominated by the Department.	Member

(2) The selection committee shall, after following the hiring process provided under section 5, recommend the suitable locum to the Department for hiring.

7. Duties of the locum staff.– The locum staff shall:

(a) perform duties as outlined in their contract or any other duty assigned to them by the Department;

(b) adhere to the relevant protocols, standards, and patient safety guidelines; and

8. Extension and termination of contract of locum staff.– (1) The hiring period of the locum staff may be extended by the Department for such a period as may be approved by the Committee on such terms and conditions as may be approved by the Committee.

(2) In case of professional misconduct, negligence, breach of the terms and conditions of hiring, conduct unbecoming or violations of any policy of the Department by the locum staff, the hiring may be terminated immediately without serving any notice and the outstanding dues, if any, shall be paid forthwith.

9. Bar to claim regularization.- (1) The locum staff shall be governed under the provisions of the Act and shall not have any right to confirmation or regularization, in any manner, on the position for which they are hired.

(2) The locum staff shall not be entitled to pension, gratuity or any other benefit as admissible to the regular employees.

10. Grievance redressal.– (1) In case of any grievance, the locum staff may file a representation before the head of the Institution in which he is performing his duties and the head of the Institution shall, after affording him an opportunity of hearing, decide the matter within thirty days of the filing of the representation.

(2) Any locum staff being dis-satisfied with the decision of the head of the Institution, may file appeal before the Secretary of the Department who shall decide the matter within thirty days of the filing of the appeal.

(3) In case of any clarification regarding terms and conditions of hiring, the locum staff or the Institution may approach the Committee, through the Department, and the clarification provided by the Committee shall be final.

11. Powers to make rules.– The Government may, by notification in the official Gazette, make rules for carrying out the purposes of the Act.

12. Powers to issue guidelines.– Subject to the provisions of the Act and the rules made thereunder, the Secretary of the Department may issue guidelines for carrying out the purposes of the Act.

13. Act to override.– Notwithstanding anything contained in any other law for the time being in force, the provisions of the Act shall have an overriding effect.

14. Removal of difficulties.– If any difficulty arises in giving effect to the provisions of the Act, the Government may, by an order, not inconsistent with the provisions of the Act, remove the difficulty.

[1]This Act was passed by Provincial Assembly of the Punjab on 03 November 2025; assented to by Governor of the Punjab on 12 November 2025; and was published in the Punjab Gazette (Extraordinary), dated 12 November 2025; pages 2371-74.