‘25 Sialkot BHUs will now work round the clock’

Health EDO says 24-hour operations will soon begin in other BHUs in the district.

SIALKOT: Health services will now be available round the clock at 25 basic health units (BHUs) in Sialkot, Health Executive District Officer (EDO) Dr Javed Warraich told the media on Sunday night.

He said the remaining 63 BHUs of the district would also be made operational round the clock in the next phase of the Chief Minister’s Health Promotion Programme.

The EDO said the 25 BHUs were selected on the basis of their location. He said these were located in the most populous areas of the district. He said with round the clock operations at these facilities residents of the surrounding areas would no longer need to travel all the way to the nearby tehsil or district headquarters hospitals. In particular, he said, the move would be helpful in ensuring timely availability of maternity healthcare to women during a pregnancy.

Of the 25 BHUs which would now be open round the clock, 10 were in Sialkot tehsil (in Raja Harpal, Dalowali, Bonkan, Muradpur, Jodhey Wali, Sollahrian Cantonment, Waryo, Pindal, Agoki, and Joddian Kalan areas) and five each in Daska (in Sarawali, Galotiyan, Adamkay Cheema, Gojra, and Jharranwala areas), Sambrial (Sahwala, Dhanawali, Randher, Malkhanwali, and Bhopawala areas), and Pasroor (Qila Kallarwala, Bin Bajwa, Chowbara, Kangra and Badhyana areas) tehsils.

The EDO said two security guards, two lady health visitors and helpers would be available at each of these facilities for the visitors.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 14^th, 2015.