KP Medical Board Abolishes Trainee Registrar Posts, Affecting Nearly 500 Doctors

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Policy Board of Medical Teaching Institutions has decided to abolish Trainee Registrar positions across all medical teaching institutions in the province, a move that will affect nearly 500 Trainee Medical Officers currently serving in teaching hospitals.

In a circular dated September 1, 2026, the board instructed all Boards of Governors to immediately withdraw any ongoing advertisements for Trainee Registrar vacancies. The decision applies across the province's medical teaching institutions and is intended to standardise how doctors in training are employed.

According to the board, the posts had been used to extend the training period of doctors who completed their required training but repeatedly failed the FCPS examination. Officials argued that this created an imbalance, since doctors who failed the examination continued to receive additional opportunities, while colleagues from the same cohort who passed could not access a comparable arrangement.

The board noted that doctors who pass the FCPS examination already have access to Experiential Registrar positions. These two-year posts allow successful candidates to gain the clinical experience needed for faculty appointments. Under the new requirements, departments must establish clear training programmes and performance targets for such registrars and assess their progress after one year. Unsatisfactory performance can lead to corrective action, and institutions may remove a doctor from the position in cases of serious underperformance.

All medical teaching institutions have been directed to notify serving Trainee Registrars of the decision. Current registrars may remain in their posts for a maximum of three months, provided their original contracts have at least three months remaining, though institutions must apply the arrangement in line with their legal and contractual obligations.

The move is expected to reshape postgraduate medical training in the province, with the board positioning the change as a way to ensure fair access to training opportunities and maintain clear performance standards for doctors preparing for faculty roles.