KP to hand over hospital ambulances to Rescue 1122

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has decided to hand over ambulances of all the hospitals to Rescue 1122 and matter would be presented in the next meeting of the cabinet for a final approval.

This was decided at a meeting here on Wednesday which was chaired by Chief Minister Mahmood Khan to discuss the reform initiatives of the Health Department, said an official handout. Health Minister Taimur Salim Jhagra, secretary for Relief, Health, director general Health Services, director general Rescue 1122 and other relevant officials attended the meeting. The chief minister directed the officials of the Health and Relief departments to finalize all the matters of handover of ambulances to the Rescue 1122. The meeting decided to devise a proper mechanism for ad hoc recruitments as well as to expedite the ongoing recruitment process of doctors and other medical staff.

It was decided that a meeting of all relevant departments would be convened next week to finalize the mechanism to this effect. Outsourcing of diagnostic and non-clinical services in the secondary care hospitals was decided as well in principle.

The forum discussed matters related to the posting of management and doctors of general cadre and decided to empower the Health Department for the posting and transfer against all administrative posts except posting transfer to key administrative slots of the department. It was also decided to implement the e-transfer policy in the department to streamline the posting/transfer of doctors and other staff in the Health Department. The meeting decided to empower the Independent Monitoring Unit of the Health Department to monitor the District Headquarters Hospitals and other secondary care hospitals with a special focus on referral systems and availability of emergency medicines at these hospitals.

The chief minister directed to ensure all-time availability of essential medicines in the emergency departments of all public sector hospitals, ordering the officials concerned to work on the outsourcing of emergency medicines supply to hospitals. He directed for immediate transfers of all clerical staff and section officers of the health department working on the same post for more than two years.

The meeting was informed that all the preparations had been finalized to extend the Sehat Insaaf Card scheme to all populations of the province. It was informed that immunization coverage in the province had considerably increased whereas significant increase in the availability of medicines in the basic and rural health centre has also been reported during the last couple of months. The forum was told work on the outsourcing of various hospitals in merged areas was in progress.