K & P

Welfare services: Three-year programme for basic health units

Project will be launched in BHUs of 17 districts.

Creative Essa Malik/noorwali Shah January 08, 2013

The SRSP will focus to increase tetanus toxoid vaccination, TT-2, among pregnant women by 14%, read the agreement. DESIGN: ESSA MALIK

PESHAWAR:

The health department in collaboration with the Sarhad Rural Support Programme (SRSP) has initiated a three-year healthcare programme to improve services in Basic Health Units (BHU) of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P).

The project will be implemented through Peoples’ Primary Health Initiatives (PPHI) in selected BHUs of 17 districts, and aims to provide access to cheap and immediate health facilities to every patient.

According to the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between SRSP and the health department, the programme intends to implement the Minimum Health Delivery Package (MHSDP) for primary health care services through the health units. This will help the health department come closer in achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) set by the provincial government.

PPHI Programme Director Dr Attaur Rehman said that after the 18th Amendment, all health policies fall within the ambit of the provincial government and BHUs have been handed over to the SRSP. “After the new agreement, eight more districts were included in the programme,” he added.

Rehman further said that employees will be trained to improve services for mother and newborn child health, immunisations, delivery and prevention of diseases.

According to the MoU, SRSP will focus on reducing the maternal mortality rate by 27%, increase contraceptive prevalence rate by 15%, increase skilled birth attended deliveries by 14% and reduce the infant mortality rate by 21%, especially in newborns.

The programme also intends to reduce the prevalence of underweight children below five years of age by 10% through use of nutrition intervention programme.

The SRSP will focus to increase tetanus toxoid vaccination, TT-2, among pregnant women by 14%, read the agreement. It also showed that 70% of the BHUs will have to meet the standards set by the health department.

The health department will also monitor the performance of SRSP, provide Expanded Programme on Immunisation and TB DOTS (Directly Observed Treatment system for Tuberculosis) facilities and assist health staff in getting access to training opportunities at district and provincial levels.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 8^th, 2013.