Medical Officers (Regularization of Appointments) Act, 1992

The Medical Officers (Regularization of Appointments) Act, 1992 (Act XVI of 1992) converts certain ad-hoc medical officer appointments into regular government appointments. Section 1 says it came into force at once. Section 2 defines "Medical Officers" as those appointed as Medical Officers in institutions under the Health Division, and those appointed as RMOs (Resident Medical Officers) at the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases.

Section 3 is the operative provision: notwithstanding the Civil Servants Act, 1973, the Federal Public Service Commission Ordinance, 1977, or rules made under either, a Medical Officer who was approved for ad-hoc appointment before 12 October 1988 and was still holding that post when the Act commenced, could be deemed regularly appointed in the Medical Officers cadre from the Act's commencement date, on an order of the Federal Government. Section 3(2) conditions this on a Committee being satisfied that the officer's character and antecedents are verified as satisfactory, and that they hold the required domicile, qualifications, experience, and are within the age limit. Section 3(3) defines this Committee: the Director General of Health as Chairman, the Joint Secretary (Administration) of the Health Division, and one nominee of the Establishment Division not below Joint Secretary rank.

Section 4 governs seniority for these regularized officers: they rank junior to officers who were already holding a regular post at the Act's commencement, or who were appointed on the Federal Public Service Commission's recommendation before that date. Among the regularized officers themselves, seniority is based on continuous appointment date, with ties broken in favour of the older officer.

This is a service-law statute addressing a specific historical group of ad-hoc medical appointees (pre-October 1988), and its practical relevance today is limited to seniority questions arising from that regularization.