LAHORE Pakistan Medical Association (Equity) has expressed concerns over the proposal of Punjab Health Department regarding up-gradation of 198 posts of Senior Registrars to Assistant Professors (APs). In a meeting held here at the Service Hospital on Wednesday with Dr Mir Qais Mustafa in the chair, the participants regretted that the step was aimed at accommodating blue-eyed medics by changing their cadre. They argued that appointment of Additional Principal Medical Officers and Senior Medical Officers as APs would be a great injustice to young postgraduates. They said that gross violation of merit would cause a serious blow to the service delivery at teaching hospitals. They said that that the step was contradictory to PMDC rules which provided year of post-graduation and number of attempts as parameter for appointment as APs and SRs. The rules do not recognise length of service which is being proposed as a parameter simply to do favour to old and outdated doctors in general cadre, the meeting stressed. The participants regretted that the decision taken in the last meeting of medics representative bodies including PMA Equity, Medical Teachers Association and Young Doctors Association with the Secretary Health has not been implemented. They claimed that year of post-graduation and number of attempts was decided to made parameter for appointment as APs. They said that lack of implementation of the decision and the persistence of the government with uncalled for cutoff date of January 1, 2009 was causing serious resentment in the medical community. They demanded the Punjab Chief Minister to intervene and ensure merit in the promotion of medics as APs.