Punjab: Over 3,700 candidates appeared for medical officer exam, 12% absent

Punjab: Out of over 4,300 applicants who applied for 1,000 posts of medical officers (MBBS doctors), a total of 3,787 candidates appeared in the recruitment exam conducted by Baba Farid University of Health Sciences (BFUHS) on Tuesday. This means that nearly 12 per cent of the applicants, i.e. over 500 in total, were absent from the exam. The exam was conducted at 16 designated centres across the state to ensure accessibility and level playing field for all candidates. According to a senior BFUHS official, elaborate arrangements were made to ensure a smooth, fair and secure examination process.

“All necessary protocols and safety measures were followed to maintain the integrity of the recruitment process,” the official said. Notably, this recruitment drive is believed to be the biggest in decades, with the written exam being held on June 3. Applications for the posts were invited between April 25 and May 22. The recruitment drive comes at a crucial time when many health centres — especially in rural areas — are currently running without a single regular doctor.