Sindh promises better health this year

In an effort to improve primary health care, 84 new initiatives are being introduced.

KARACHI:

Sindh's health sector is in a deplorable state. In an effort to ease the burden on major hospitals of Karachi and Hyderabad, the government is therefore trying to focus on primary healthcare by initiating new schemes in different districts. The provincial government has allocated Rs13.2 billion in the Annual Development Programme and Rs2.5 billion in the Foreign Project Assistance for the health sector.

Boosting PPHI

In an effort to facilitate the rural population, 100 of the Basic Health Units (BHU), which normally operate from 9am to 6pm, are being converted into BHU Plus facilities and will now operate round the clock.

Keeping the crisis in Tharparkar in mind, the provincial government through the People's Primary Healthcare Initiative Sindh (PPHI) will begin a nutrition programme to help the women and children in the province who are suffering from malnutrition. Sindh CM Qaim Ali Shah had already said, in his address to the lawmakers of the Sindh Assembly a few weeks ago, that large number of deaths of children in Tharparkar was due to a lack of trained midwives, therefore, supporting this 'genuine' analysis, the provincial government is going to establish a PPHI midwifery training institution in Bhitshah.

A Smart Phone Monitoring System for health services — already introduced in four districts as pilot project - is being extended to all other districts.

How to control infant, maternal mortality rate?

The health officials, this time, suggest that the infant mortality rate and maternal mortality ratio will only be under control if the growth rate of the population is reduced. An amount of Rs176 billion has been allocated with a target to increase contraceptive prevalence rate from 30% to 45%. The government believes this will help reduce both maternal and infant mortality rate.

New initiatives

The budget also allocates funds for 84 new initiatives, which include the OPD Complex at Civil Hospital, Karachi, 400-bed hospital at NIPA Chowrangi, Liver Transplant Unit in Karachi, 500-bed teaching hospital in Jamshoro, establishment of a cardiology hospital, a children hospital and a kidney centre in Hyderabad and establishment of a Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (SIUT) complex in Sukkur.



A sum total of Rs1.5 billion has been allocated to initiate rescue ambulatory services and call centres in all districts this year. Thirty-nine taluka hospitals are also being up-graded to district hospitals.

The establishment of a child health care institute in Sukkur and a 133-bed Jacobabad Institute of Medical Science and a Nutrition Support Programme in nine districts - all with the help of foreign assistance - are also also included in these schemes.

SIUT, Indus Hospital

The provincial government has allocated Rs2billion for SIUT for its unprecedented services in the health sector while The Indus Hospital will also get Rs300million for providing free medical services to poor people.

The dialysis and thalassaemia centres, operating in various districts, will also be given grants so they can continue to provide free medical care to their patients.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 14^th, 2014.