A patient waits in the hallway of a hospital. PHOTO: REUTERS
Previously, the K-P government would issue funds directly to the facilities. But with powers devolved, funds are now sent to the districts who have been empowered to release funds to the district health departments as and when required.
The new devolved system, officials claim, empowered districts.
But district health officials argue that the devolution has in fact created new problems for them which is why they have been asking the provincial government to reverse the move and allow the health ministry to directly release funds to facilities.
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The 760 Basic Health Units (BHUs) and 96 Rural Health Centers (RHCs) across the province offer healthcare services to the people. The government has set aside around Rs13.78 billion for district health offices so that facilities in the peripheries are developed. The ultimate aim is to reduce the load on tertiary care hospitals in major urban centres.
Officials in the Bannu health department, however, argue that powers for the speedy release of funds have backfired since funds were not being released to the health department in time for their timely release to facilities.
They alleged that since the political party, which formed the Bannu district government, was sitting on the opposition benches in the provincial assembly, the provincial government was reluctant to release funds for them. The political tiff, they argued, was impacting the people since the cash-strapped district health department was unable to deliver services.
According to senior health officials, the district health department has been facing an immense shortage of medicines but it cannot help the issue since it does not have any money to buy life-saving drugs and was getting on by borrowing medicines.
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“We have borrowed vaccine for snake bites worth Rs74,000 but the amount is yet to be paid,” District Health Officer Dr Daraz Khattak confirmed to The Express Tribune adding the amount released by the district government was insufficient to meet the requirements of the small Domail area.
He added that the health ministry had been told that they require Rs5million for the Rural Health Centre in Domail where an average of 200 patients is examined at the facility’s outpatient department every day.
He added that funds released by the district government were divided among 95 health facilities in the district, with every facility receiving Rs2,000. “I wonder how can you meet the needs of one of the most populated districts with Rs2,000 per month including the purchase of life-saving medicines,” Khattak said, adding, “this problem should be solved immediately.”
In Dera Ismail Khan, some officials went to court over the release of funds.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 17th, 2017.
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