versa.
It is learnt that after outsourcing of health facilities to external parties, the Punjab government will be responsible for allocating funds for medicines, salaries, etc.; make transfers and postings of doctors and staff; while the infrastructure and equipment would remain property of the government. The service providing agencies will just take over the management and have their say in recommending transfers and postings of doctors and ancillary staff in the health facilities.
The KP government is successfully running a model after outsourcing management of health facilities in five districts, including Batagram, Buner, Bannu, Kohistan and Karak. Similarly, the Sindh government is also likely to sign agreement with an external party to outsource health facilities in two districts of Thatta and Badin.
In this regard, Punjab’s health authorities, on Monday, held a session with external agencies, including Merlin, Save The Children Pakistan, DFID, TRF+, World Bank, Punjab Rural Support Programme, Akhuwat, Al-Shifa and others to roll-out the plan to contract out health facilities from 1st November, 2015. The representatives of participating agencies floated different proposals to make the programme successful and also desired to outsource BHUs along with outreach service delivery as well. “The outsourcing of BHUs in isolation without outreach programme will be a waste of money,” said one participant on the basis of his agency’s experience in KP.
Punjab Health Department has identified that the functioning of BHUs, RHCs, THQs and DHQs was low despite a huge spending on these health facilities e.g. posting of Medical Officers in Nankana Sahib and Narowal was dismally low. Therefore, it desired the providers to improve the functioning to optimum level by posting of staff, ensuring doctors and auxiliary staff’s presence, supply of medicines and infrastructure to give quality by implementing administrative, hygienic and clinical protocols to achieve maximum customer’s satisfaction. It aims at increasing equity by selecting the marginalised and improve service provision through better management. The contracting out of health facilities will fix the chronic issues like absenteeism of doctors and other staff, pilferage of medicines and corruption.
Punjab Health Department will conduct monitoring through Monitoring and Evaluation Assistants (MEAs).
Talking to The News, Secretary Health Jawad Rafiq Malik, while confirming the Punjab government’s plan to outsource health facilities in Punjab, said that the successful model of outsourced facilities in 10 districts would eventually be replicated in all the 36 districts in the province. He said the programme was aimed at achieving the optimum functioning of health facilities without burdening the poor. “The patients will continue to be provided free treatment even after outsourcing of health facilities,” he added.
To a question about outsourcing of tertiary care hospitals in future, he said that tertiary care hospitals were already autonomous under Punjab Autonomous Medical Institutions Act. However, Punjab Health Department will take measures to improve the functioning of mega teaching hospitals in the province as well.