K-P govt declares nursing emergency

In response to the rising demand for nurses, the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government has declared a 'Nursing Emergency' across the province and directed the immediate recruitment of nurses through the Establishment & Training Academy (ETA).

Chairing a key health department meeting, Chief Minister Muhammad Sohail Afridi ordered the Nursing Council to issue a new notification to secure 650 trained nursing slots. The meeting reviewed the overall health sector situation, ongoing reforms, and future needs.

The chief minister also instructed the prompt completion of ongoing recruitment to fill vacancies for doctors and specialists in hospitals and health centers, emphasizing that merit and transparency must not be compromised.

Afridi further directed concrete measures to combat diseases such as polio, dengue, and malaria, highlighting the urgent implementation of the dengue action plan. He stressed that procurement of medicines and medical equipment must begin by January 1, leaving no room for delays.

Highlighting the increasing burden on Peshawar's tertiary care hospitals, the chief minister ordered a feasibility review for the establishment of new multi-bed hospitals in Peshawar, Kohat, and Malakand, with actionable recommendations. He stressed the need for practical strategies to meet the healthcare needs of a growing population.

Instructions were also issued to complete and operationalize the Khyber Institute of Child Health swiftly, with responsible authorities required to submit weekly progress reports.

Afridi reaffirmed that ongoing priority health projects would be completed on schedule, and unnecessary delays in public welfare initiatives would not be tolerated. He assured that lack of resources would not hinder improvements in public health.

The meeting was briefed on departmental health services, budget expenditures, development projects, reform initiatives, and other matters. The current annual development program includes 182 projects, of which 76 are nearing completion. Notable flagship projects include the establishment of a burn center in Dera Ismail Khan, health laboratories across the province, Kohat Institute of Medical Sciences, reconstruction of Liaquat Memorial Teaching Hospital, and standardization of DHQ Hospital Mardan.

Additional initiatives include the restoration of health facilities in merged districts, establishment of a paraplegic center, upgrading accident and emergency units and ICUs at Hayatabad Medical Complex, setting up a nursing college in Upper Chitral, rehabilitation of health centers province-wide, and strengthening the EPI program, among 51 mega priority projects currently underway.