ISLAMABAD -The Federal Government Services Hospital is severely facing shortage of nursing staff, as at present eighty nursing posts are laying vacant in hospital with no further appointments made for the last two year. In year 2007, nurses were promoted from 14 to 16 grade as announced by the then prime minister after which the authority to make direct permanent appointments on the unfilled positions was taken away from the hospital administration as it was being done earlier. Earlier, a joint committee comprising of Health Ministry officials and hospital administration used to recruit nurses on vacant posts but after the promotion of the nurses into grade 16l, the permanent appointment process is being carried out by the Public Service Commission. "Although the ministry can not hire nursing staff permanently but still it has the authority to recruit staff on these vacant posts on adhoc basis," noted a hospital source. During the passage of two years the hospital administration has informed Health Ministry several times that there was dire need to fulfill the vacant posts to lessen the burden on present nursing staff but to no avail. With every passing day the situation is worsening, as it is too difficult to handle the ever-increasing number of patients especially in emergency situation the official source further added. Despite passage of almost two years till date, the high ups in ministry have not bother to take any action in this regard he further maintained. The official opined that due to nursing staff shortage the poor patients become the ultimate sufferers, as they also have to tolerate the rude attitude of the staff that is bound to perform extra duties. According to the hospital sources, in future the hospital administration may also go through more problematical situation if immediate recruitment were not carried out as out of the 200 nursing staff working in Polyclinic 45 are on contract and their bonds will be expire in the beginning of next year.