PPHI to take over Larkana healthcare facilities

LARKANA:

The healthcare facilities of Ratodero, Naundero, Badah, Dokri, Garhi Khuda Bux Bhutto, and other towns of Larkana would soon be handed over to Peoples Primary Health Initiative (PPHI) to provide better health facilities at the doorsteps of the poor patients because the working of Integrated Healthcare Services (IHS) was unsatisfactory.

This was disclosed by Sindh Minister for Health and Population Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho while chairing a high-level meeting at the Commissioner's office in Larkana on Saturday.

During her visit to the Chandka Children Hospital ART Centre, she was told that six out of 360 registered HIV-positive children were avoiding the Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART), but they should be brought back to the medication. She directed that a proper record of HIV-positive children must be maintained and they could be provided better treatment facilities.

Later, she visited the OPD of Shaikh Zayed Women Hospital and then presided over a high-level meeting at the commissioner's office of health officials of the Larkana division which was participated by the Health Secretary, Director General, Health Services, all the District Health Officers, Medical Superintendents (MS), PPHI, UNAIDS country director and others.

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Pechuho directed the participants to ensure the installation of CCTV cameras in all the hospitals, ensure the provision of all treatment medicines free of cost to the patients, and maintenance of cleanliness in the facilities for which no negligence would be tolerated.

She said the security system must be improved in the hospitals. She directed to ensure following WHO and UNICEF treatment protocols strictly.

The health minister said they had controlled polio with the cooperation of WHO and UNICEF.

She said children should be vaccinated against measles, polio, and Covid so that they could be saved from these dangerous diseases.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 10^th, 2021.