CM wants proposed dengue action plan implemented

PESHAWAR: Caretaker Chief Minister Muhammad Azam Khan on Wednesday directed the Health Department to ensure strict implementation of the proposed dengue action plan to prevent the possible outbreak of the virus during the current season.

He was chairing a meeting of the Health Department here. Advisor to Chief Minister for Health Dr Abid Jameel, Chief Secretary Imdadullah Bosal and other relevant departments attended the meeting, said a handout.

The chief minister termed health as a priority sector of the government and directed the Finance Department to ensure the timely provision of required funds for the purchase of emergency medicines and other essential procurements in hospitals.

He also directed the officials concerned to ensure timely completion of due for completion projects in the health sector, adding that required funds should be provided on priority basis for the purpose.

He asked the concerned quarters to complete the ongoing inquiry regarding payments to hospitals working under the public-private partnership and made it clear that the process should not affect services delivery in those hospitals and patients should not face any inconvenience.

The chief minister also directed them to take concrete measures to contain leishmania and other infectious diseases as well.

He urged the authorities concerned to pay special attention to improve service delivery in the health sector in the merged areas so as to ensure provision of healthcare facilities at their door steps. Similarly, the chief minister called for taking pragmatic steps to improve service delivery in the health services delivery outlets of peripheries of the settled districts with the aim to ensure treatment facilities to people at local level and minimize patients flow to tertiary healthcare facilities.

Earlier, the chief minister was briefed about the institutional reforms, administrative affairs, and implementation of development projects, status of available funds and other related matters of the health department.

Matters related to sehat card programme and Medical Teaching Institutions were also discussed in the meeting. It was decided that a separate meeting would be convened to further streamline matters of MTIs and sehat card scheme. The chief minister termed Sehat Card Programme as a good initiative of public welfare and said that the entire process of health card would be made transparent and more effective so that maximum benefits of this program could reach to the people.

Azam Khan made it clear that all the decisions would be taken to this effect purely on merit and in the best public interest. He added that the caretaker government was totally impartial and all its decisions would be public-welfare oriented.