Public health: EDOs directed to improve health sector performance

Pakpattan, Kasur leading the province on key performance indicators

LAHORE:

The government on Monday gave the Health Department executive district officers (EDOs) a month to improve key performance indicators.

The directions were issued by Adviser to Chief Minister on Health Khawaja Salman Rafique while chairing a meeting of district health managers at the Directorate General of Health Services.

“The chief minister has set June as deadline for improvement on key performance indicators in the health sector. Stern accountability may follow in cases of poor performance,” he said.

Health Secretary Jawad Rafique Malik, Parliamentary Health Secretary Khawaja Imran Nazir, Health Services DG Zahid Pervaiz and Extended Programme on Immunisation (EPI) Director Munir Ahmed attended the meeting. Representatives of Chief Minister’s Roadmap Team, the Punjab Information Technology Board and key allied units were also present.

The meeting reviewed the status of healthcare in all districts and sought explanation from officials who had failed to show any improvement.

The EPI director said that health camps were being set up in four districts: Lahore, Rawalpindi, Dera Ghazi Khan and Rajanpur. “Basic medical services will be provided along with immunisation at the camps,” he said.

He presented analysis of low-vaccination coverage union councils data and asked the EDOs to take administrative action against the staff found responsible. He emphasised the importance of children’s vaccination card retention as a monitoring indicator. “Unprecedented urban expansion calls for detailed revision of micro-plans. The process needs to be completed within a month,” he said.

The Chief Minister’s Roadmap Team members informed the meeting that through GPS tracking, it had been found that a good number of vaccinators did not visit all the locations assigned to them. The meeting directed the EDOs to identify vaccinators with low coverage and take action against them.

It was also decided in the meeting that walk-in interviews would be conducted to fill the vacant positions of medical officers, lady health visitors and paramedic staff for basic health units (BHUs).

The team said that data on safe deliveries from BHUs would be independently verified through contact with the patients.

The health secretary directed the EDOs to make alternate power supply arrangements and provide clean water at rural BHUs. The meeting was informed that there had been a significant reduction in unauthorised absence from duty.

On the overall performance scorecard, Pakpattan and Kasur were found leading the province on major indicators.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 12^th, 2015.