K-P asks DHOs to monitor health facilities

DHOs slam govt for redundancy measure amid IMU’s existence

PESHAWAR: Despite the fact that the government has a unit which specializes in collecting information about missing equipment, health facilities, and attendance of health staff, the provincial government has bizarrely asked health officers to complete similar tasks.

The decision has drawn criticism from the district health officers (DHOs) for its redundancy and distractive nature.

The decision to ask DHOs to collect data on the missing facilities at all the primary and secondary health facilities across the province was taken during a meeting of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Health Ministry at the Health Secretariat in Peshawar.

DHOs, who could not express their concerns over the matter during the meeting, have pointed out the redundancy of the move.

“If there is a unit doing the same thing, the ministry should let the DHOs concentrate on their core duty rather getting them to hold pen and paper to check each and every item, making a list of it and sharing it with the ministry,” an irked senior health official, privy to the developments, told The Express Tribune.

The official, who did not wish to be named since he was not entitled to speak on the issue, stated that the self-explanatory title of the Independent Monitoring Unit (IMU) clearly mentioned its purpose and job: of ‘monitoring’.

Hence, the DHO said that it meant that IMU officials were responsible for any missing facilities at health facilities and not the DHOs.

The official further said that districts such as Peshawar, Abbottabad, Swat, Mansehra and Haripur were still critical for health and an outbreak of any number of diseases including polio and measles can occur at any time and thus required the full attention of DHOs.

“We have curtailed the viral infection as compared to the previous years, but if something (outbreak) happens, we (DHOs) will be held responsible, so let us concentrate on our job and let others do theirs,” the official complained.

Later, during a news conference on the meeting with DHOs, K-P Health Minister Hasham Inamullah said that the government was trying to lower the burden on tertiary care hospitals which is why the government wanted details of the facilities at primary and secondary health facilities.

He added that during the meeting, the DHOs had shared performance indicators while they were briefed about their targets. In this regard, a follow-up meeting will be held within a month’s time.

“Wherever we find anything missing in terms of human resource or equipment, we will ensure its availability, since we want to ensure availability of minimum health services at primary and secondary health facilities to reduce the burden on tertiary care health facilities,” the minister said.

Even though the last provincial government was also led by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the minister expressed some discomfort with the former set up.

Inamullah also expressed dissatisfaction with the board of governors formed by the interim government.

“You should compare the situation [in the interim setup and the previous government] and you will realise which one was better,” he informed.

In reply to a question about the transfer of a government officer (former secretary health Abid Majeed) who helped set up the current health architecture in the province, the minister explained away the inherent controversy (that he had been removed for crossing Dr Nausherwan Burki) as “I want my own team.”

Talking about the budget, he said that over 90 per cent of the budget [allocated for health] would be utilised for expenditures.

Inamullah further announced that the PTI government’s flagship health insurance scheme, the Sehat Sahulat Card, will be expanded to the tribal districts as well. The programme offers medical treatment for different diseases to poor patients at public and private health facilities across the province under the social health security programme.

Curiously, he said that extending the programme into the tribal areas will be managed by the federal government.

When the PTI had introduced the Sehat Sahulat Card in February 2017, it had done so 14 months after the federal government had launched its PM National Health Programme Free and had invited all provinces to participate in the programme. K-P declined while citing plans for its own programme. 

Published in The Express Tribune, October 9^th, 2018.