District health departments asked to improve performance

Rawalpindi
The Policy and Strategic Planning Unit of Punjab Health Department has asked the district health departments of the province to take appropriate measures on immediate basis to improve institutional deliveries status in the areas under their jurisdiction.
The P & SP Unit compiled data of the institutional deliveries conducted at primary healthcare facilities including basic health units and rural health centres and at secondary healthcare facilities including tehsil headquarters hospitals and district headquarters hospitals across the province during the year 2014.
The unit used the data to find out district wise performance of the district health departments on improving institutional deliveries status and revealed after analysing that the average coverage at the primary and secondary healthcare facilities is around 24.1 per cent in the province.
The unit declared Rawalpindi district second among the top performing six districts of the province with 39.2 per cent deliveries conducted in the district at the institutions, the primary and secondary healthcare facilities.
The data reveals that 40.5 per cent deliveries in district Lahore were conducted in the healthcare facilities while 36.3 per cent in Muzaffargarh, 35.7 per cent in district Jhelum, 32.8 per cent in Bhakkar and 32.6 per cent of the total deliveries in 2014 were conducted at the primary and secondary healthcare facilities in Gujrat.
The list of low performing districts in the Punjab province include Lodhran with 10.9 per cent institutional deliveries, Sheikhupura with 12 per cent institutional deliveries, Toba Tek Sing with 12.8 per cent institutional deliveries, Gujranwala with 12.9 per cent and Bahawalnagar with 13.3 per cent deliveries in the primary and secondary healthcare facilities.
The P & SP Unit has sent a detailed sheet bearing performance of the districts to the executive district officers (health) and other stakeholders asking them to look into the matter and to take appropriate measures to improve the institutional deliveries under intimation to Mother and Child Healthcare and Nutrition Program of the provincial health department.
The district health department has received the instructions from the Punjab health department and has started taking special measures to reduce mother and newborn mortality rate in Rawalpindi, said Executive District Officer (Health) Dr. Khalid Randhawa when contacted by 'The News' on Sunday.
He added that the district health department has already been making efforts to improve institutional deliveries status in Rawalpindi and the lady health workers and concerned staff has been working on convincing population in peripheries to opt for healthcare facilities for regular check-ups during pregnancy.