Staff Reporter
Peshawar
Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Mahmood Khan has directed the Health Department to ensure functionalization of all available equipments in all the health units of the Province by the end of October adding that pragmatic steps should be undertaken on emergency basis for filling of all vacant positions in the newly merged districts.
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 this year, the process for issuance of 4 Million additional Sehat Sahulat Cards will be initiated whereas 1.7 Million families are already availing healthcare facilities under the scheme. With regards to the newly merged districts, the Chief Minister was informed that 4 lac & Fifty thousand cards have already been issued.
The Chief Minister also directed to ensure functionalisation of the newly constructed Gyne and Children block in the District Headquarter Hospital Mardan further directing the Health Department to move a formal summery identifying the missing facilities necessary for functionalisation of the newly constructed blocks in Khyber Teaching Hospital, Lady Reading Hospital and Kidney Centre, Hayatabad.
While chairing a progress review meeting of the Health Department, the Chief Minister stated that the Key Performance Indicators set for the Health Department are being used for real time monitoring of the health care services being offered to the citizens of the Province which include presence of staff, Medicine availability, equipment functionality, utility functionality and filling of vacant positions.
The Chief Minister was informed that as per the baseline survey, staff presence has increased from 66% in April 2015 to 75% in June 2019. Similarly during the same period, medicine availability has increased from 46% to 67%, Equipment functionalisation has increased from 58% to 77% whereas utility functionality has increased from 54% to 80% throughout the health facilities in the Province.
The meeting was also attended by Provincial Minister Ishtiaq Urmar, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Shahab Ali Shah, SSU Head Sahibzada Saeed, Secretary Health and other officials. As for the vacant positions in the DHOs, RHCs, and BHUs, the Chief Minister was informed that recruitment on nearly 4000 vacant posts, which include positions from BPS-18 to Class 4 vacancies, is currently 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 ongoing year.
