KP CM wants all equipment at hospitals functional by October

PESHAWAR: Chief Minister Mahmood Khan on Wednesday directed the Health Department to ensure the functioning of all available equipment in the health units of the province by the end of October.

Chairing a progress review meeting of the Health Department here, the chief minister said the key performance indicators set for the Health Department were being used for real-time monitoring of the healthcare services being provided to the citizens of the province.

He said the services included the presence of staff, medicine availability, equipment functionality and filling of vacant positions.

“Pragmatic steps should be undertaken on an emergency basis for filling of all vacant positions in the merged districts,” the chief minister told the meeting.

Provincial Minister Ishtiaq Urmar, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Shahab Ali Shah, SSU Head Sahibzada Saeed, Secretary Health and other officials attended the meeting, said a handout.

The chief minister also directed to ensure the functioning of the newly constructed Gyne and Children blocks in the District Headquarters Hospital Mardan.

He directed the Health Department to move a formal summary identifying the missing facilities necessary for the functioning of the newly constructed blocks in Khyber Teaching Hospital, Lady Reading Hospital and Kidney Centre, Hayatabad.

As for the progress on the extension of Sehat Sahulat Programme to all the citizen of the province, the chief minister was informed that by the end of November, the process for issuance of four million additional Sehat Sahulat cards would be initiated whereas 1.7 million families are already availing healthcare facilities under the scheme.

With regard to the merged districts, the chief minister was told that 450,000 cards had already been issued.

He was informed that as per the baseline survey, staff presence has increased from 66 per cent in April 2015 to 75 per cent in June 2019.

Similarly, during the same period, medicine availability has increased from 46 per cent to 67per cent, equipment functionalisation has increased from 58 per cent to 77 per cent whereas utility functionality has increased from 54 per cent to 80 per cent throughout the health facilities in the province.

About the vacant positions in the DHQs, RHCs and BHUs, the chief minister was informed that recruitment on nearly 4000 vacant posts, which include positions from BPS-18 to Class-IV vacancies, was underway and most of these vacancies will be filled by September this year whereas complete recruitment process will be completed by the end of the current year.

About the healthcare service delivery status in the DHQs of the merged districts, the chief minister was informed that survey for identifying missing facilities had been completed and efforts were underway to ensure the presence of staff in the seven new districts, availability of essential medicine and functioning of ambulance and lab services.