Health and Family Welfare Department Announces Pharmacists Recruitment

Government of Punjab, Health and Family Welfare Department (Health-5 Branch) vide letter memo Taighan 01/09/2020-2 Mi5 (Th.D.)/597-598 dated 30.06.2023 to: 1105650: HFW-HLH5021/55/2026-3H5/1/1375227/2026 dated 22.04.2026 has approved the filling of 350+104 (total 454) vacant posts of Pharmacist (Pharmacy Officer) under Mid Day Family Welfare Department Punjab through direct recruitment. Detailed description of vacancies regarding this recruitment, category wise distribution of vacancies, prescribed criteria, conditions and rules are attached and it is requested that applications should be sought from eligible candidates by issuing advertisement immediately as per the eligibility and rules prescribed by the government and after completion of written examination. And counseling, the final selection list of candidates (Combined as well as Category Wise). Final result should be prepared and sent to this office.

Post : Pharmacist (Pharmacy Officer)

No of posts : 454
General : 136 Fresh
EWS : 34 Fresh
BC : 50 (35 Fresh + 15 Backlog)
SC (M&B) : 43 (35 Fresh + 08 Backlog)
SC (R&O) : 42 (35 Fresh + 07 Backlog)
ESM/LDESM (General) : 42 (25 Fresh + 07 Backlog)
ESM/LDESM (SC M&B) : 17 (07 Fresh + 10 Backlog)
ESM/LDESM (SC R&O) : 15 (06 Fresh + 09 Backlog)
ESM/LDESM (BC) : 14 (07 Fresh + 07 Backlog)
Physical Handicapped (Female) by Rotation : 14 Fresh
Sports (General) : 15 (07 Fresh + 08 Backlog)
Sports (SC /M&B) : 05 (02 Fresh + 03 Backlog)
Sports (SC R&O) : 05 (03 Fresh + 19 Backlog)
Freedom Fighter (Female) by Rotation : 22 (03 Fresh + 19 Backlog)

Qualification
(i) Should have passed Senior Secondary Part-II Examination with Science or its equivalent from a recognised university or institution;
(ii) Should possess a Diploma in Pharmacy or Bachelor of Pharmacy or Pharm-D (Doctor of Pharmacy) from a recognized university or institution; or possess higher qualification in the same discipline from a recognized university or institution; and
(iii) Should be registered as Pharmacist with the Punjab Pharmacy Council set up under the Pharmacy Act, 1948.

Initial Pay : 29200 Level 5 - 7th CPC

Age
1. Age limit: Between 18 and 37 years as on 1st Jan., 2026.
2. Relaxation in upper age for various categories is as below:
i. SC/ BC, candidates is 5 years
ii. Physically Handicapped is 10 years
iii. candidates for Ex-Servicemen Category, the age relaxation will be as follows:
"For recruitment to any vacancy in the State Civil Services whether reserved or not under these rules an Ex-Servicemen shall be allowed to deduct the period of his/her service in the Armed Forces of the Union from his/her actual age and if the resultant age does not exceed the maximum age limit prescribed for direct appointment to such vacancy in the concerned Service rules, by more than 3 years, he/she shall be deemed to satisfy the condition regarding age limit"
iv. Upper age limit may be relaxed up to 45 years for Punjab Govt, and its Board/ Corporation/ Commission and Authorities employees, all States/ Central Government employees.
v. Upper age will be relaxed as per the Punjab Government, Department of Health and Family Welfare (Health-5 Branch) Letter Memo No. 1037633 : HFW- HLH5021/161/2025-2H5/1/1329287/2026 dated, Chandigarh 26.02.2026 (Annexure- 1)
vi. The upper age limit for widows, divorcees and certain other categories of married women as per instructions issued by the Government of Punjab vide letter No. l/50/83-5PP(1368)-3454 dated 23.04.1984 will be relaxed upto 40 years.

Criteria of recruitment
1. Written examination - 90 Marks (By Baba Farid University of Health Sciences, Faridkot)
2. Experience - 10 Marks (As per Punjab Government, Department of Health and Family Welfare (Health-5 Branch) Letter Memo No. 1037633: HFW-HLH5021/161/2025-2H5/1/1329287/2026 dated, Chandigarh 26.02.2026 (Annexure-1).

Terms and Conditions
1. That the selected candidates shall be entitled for pay scales/ emoluments as per the instructions issued by Punjab Government, Department of Finance (Finance Personnel-1 Branch) No. 7/42/2020-5FP1/471-746 dated 17.07.2020, Department of Health and Family Welfare Technical Group ‘C’ Service, Rules of 2016/first amendment dated 23.07.2025 and as per Government of Punjab (Department of Personnel) letter No. 7/204/2012-4FP1/66, dated 15-01-2015 and its subsequent amendments.
2. a) Knowledge of Punjabi: - No person shall be appointed to any post in any service by direct appointment unless he has passed Matriculation examination with Punjabi as one of the compulsory or elective subject or any other equivalent examination in Punjabi language, which may be specified by the Government from time to time.
b) As per Government of Punjab Notification No. GSR72/Const./Art.309/ Amd.(22)/2022, dated 28.10.2022 that “Provided that no person shall be appointed to any post in Group-‘C’ service unless he had passed a qualifying test of Punjabi Language equivalent to Matriculation standard with at least fifty percent marks, to be conduct by respective recruitment agencies in addition to competitive examination. The test of Punjab Language shall be a mandatory qualifying test and failure to secure a minimum of fifty percent marks in Punjabi Language will disqualify the candidate for being considered in the final merit list of candidates to be selected irrespective of their scores or marks in the other papers of the respective exam.
c) Provided further where a War Hero, who has been discharged from defense service or paramilitary forces on account of disability suffered by him or his widow or dependent member of his family, is appointed under the instructions issued in this behalf by the Government, the person so appointed will not be required to possess aforesaid knowledge of Punjabi Language.
d) Provided further that where a ward of defence service personal, who is Bonafide resident of Punjab State, is appointed by direct appointment, he/she shall have to pass an examination of Punjabi Language equivalent to Matriculation standard or he shall have to qualify a test conducted by the Language Wing of the department of Education of Punjab Government with in a period of two years from the date of his appointment.
3. Reservation will be as per applicable rules and Punjab Government Policy Guidelines Number of posts given in the advertisement for reserved category is provisional.
4. The SC/ BC category certificate should be in accordance with the instructions of the Department of Welfare Punjab and the certificate for the Ex-Serviceman, Freedom Fighters, Economically Weaker Section and Sports persons categories should be in accordance with the instructions of the concerned Department.
5. Candidates should select their categories carefully, because candidates belonging to categories other than General Category are entitled in fee concussion/ exemption, age relaxation and job reservation. The Category once selected/filled will not be changed under any circumstances. Candidates shall submit certificates issued by the Competent Authority in support of their claim to a particular category. Once a candidate selects a category to apply, it will not be changed again. Thus, in case the candidate selects the wrong category, therefore their candidature will be cancelled.
6. Ex-serviceman/ Lineal Descendant of Ex-serviceman (LDESM/ Grand children of Gallantry Award Winners who have domicile of Punjab are eligible for reservation under the Ex-serviceman category. LDESM/ Grand children of Gallantry Award Winners shall be considered against the vacancies for Ex-serviceman Only if no Ex-servicemen are available.
7. Sportsperson seeking reservation under Sports quota should have Sports Gradation Certificate issued by Director Sports, Punjab as per the latest instructions to claim benefit under this category. The relevant certificate should be there with the candidate as on the last date of the submission of the online application. No extra time will be given to candidates in this respect.
8. The qualification including registration of candidates should be prior to the last date of filling the applications.
9. No TA/DA will be paid for the journeys performed for the written test/ counseling etc.

10. The candidate applying for more than one post shall have to apply separately, along with necessary fees.
11. Candidates are requested to mention their sub category viz-a-viz Caste in online application form.
12. Department has not any mechanism to check the certificates of candidates who are applying online. If, at any stage certificate of the candidate is found fictitious / bogus or ineligible, the candidature of the candidate will be cancelled and action will be taken according to law.
13. Mere qualifying the written examination would not make the candidates eligible for appointment until and unless they produce Police Verification certificate, clearance of criminal charges if any pending against him/her in the court of law and other Police actions to the satisfaction of department.
14. Only those Government employees shall be eligible to issue appointment letters who are certified by the Head of the Department as not having any pending disciplinary proceedings or undergoing punishment under Punjab Civil Services (Punishment and Appeal) Rules, 1970, or any other material disqualification in terms of integrity and professional misconduct and necessary NOC should be obtained from the Head of the Department.
15. The number of posts can be increased or decreased at any time as per the requirement of department.

16. NATIONALITY: A candidate shall be a
i. Citizen of India; or
ii. Citizen of Nepal, or
iii. Subject of Bhutan; or
iv. Tibetan refugee who came over to India before 1st January, 1962 with the intention of permanently settlement in India, or,
iv. A person of Indian origin who has migrated from Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka and East Africa countries of Kenya, Uganda and United Republic of Tanzania (formerly Tanganyika and Zanzibar) Zambia, Malawi, Zaire, Ethiopia and Vietnam with the intension of permanently setting in India: Provided that a candidate belonging to categories (i), (ii), (iv) and (v) shall be a person in whose favour a certificate of eligibility has been issued by the Government of Punjab in the Department of Home Affairs and Justice.
17. The certificates/diplomas/ degrees issued by non-recognized institutions will not be considered and the candidature of candidates will be declared ineligible.
18. Candidates, who will score minimum 33 % marks in the written test, will only be declared as eligible and the candidates who will score less than 33% marks in the written test will be declared as ineligible.
19. Merely appearing in the written test will not entitle the candidates for the right to selection unless they fulfill the prescribed eligibility criteria and other terms and conditions of the advertisement. Selection will be on the inter-se merit of the written test and marks of experience subject to the reservation prescribed by the Government of Punjab.
20. In case qualified candidates obtain equal marks in the written examination, then preference will be given to the candidate who is elder in age.
21. No extra weight age shall be admissible to the candidates possessing higher qualification.

Charges of application fee (Non-refundable) as under: -
All Categories except SC Category Rs. 2360/-(Fee Rs. 2000+ GST Rs. 360 @ 18%)
For SC Category Rs. 1180/- (Fee Rs. 1000+GST Rs. 180 @ 18%)

Online applications are invited w.e.f 11/06/2026 to 01.07.2026 from eligible candidates through University website i.e bfuhs.ac.in for the recruitment to the posts of Pharmacist (Pharmacy Officer-454) under Department of Health and Family Welfare, Punjab