CM Sindh directs to upgrade of 13 DHQs by year end

KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah on Wednesday directed to complete upgradation of thirteen taluka hospitals to district headquarters (DHQ) hospitals by December 2018 and also allowed hard area allowance to doctors for serving in remote areas.

The chief minister, while presiding over a meeting to review progress and issues of the Health Department, said they achieved some positive results on the health emergency declared during his last tenure.

“We have to continue our efforts in a more energetic and effective way for improving health services, capacity building of doctors and improving medical education system,” he said.

It was pointed out that the doctors were reluctant to serve in remote areas. Therefore, the chief minister directed health department to provide hard area allowance as being given in Thar.

Secretary Health Dr Usman Chachar briefing CM Sindh and said that there were 67,876 doctors and paramedics staff in health department against which 62,569.  The vacant position includes 2929 general doctors, 492 specialists, 129 dentists, 10 pharmacists, 9 drug administration, 210 nurses, 1214 paramedics and 1295 Lady Health Workers (LHWs).

The chief minister directed the health department to fill the vacant positions so that under-construction health facilities could be made functional.

17 hospitals being upgraded to DHQs

CM Sindh was told that under special initiatives of the chief minister, seventeen taluka headquarter hospitals are being upgraded to District Headquarter (DHQs) Hospitals.

They are Tando Mohammad Khan, Tando Allahyar, Jamshoro, Khairpur, Badin, Shikarpur, Mithi, Thatta, Dadu, Naushehro Feroze, Mirpurkhas, Sanghar, Mirpur Mathelo, Matiari, Qamber-Shahdadkot, Umerkot and Kashmore.

The chief minister directed secretary health to complete their construction work and get their scheduled new expenditure (SNE) approved by the year end.

Health facilities in Sindh

It was pointed out that there were 206 primary health facilities in Sindh which include 138 Rural Healthcare Centers (RHC), 810 Basic Health Units (BHU), 883 dispensaries, 89 Maternal and Child Healthcare Center (MCHC), two homeopathic dispensaries, eight urban health centers, 44 herbal medicines centres,  and 42 maternity homes.

The chief minister was told that out of 2016 health facilities 1032 were being run by People’s Primary Healthcare Initiative (PPHI), 821 by health department and 163 on public-private partnership mode.

The meeting was told that out of 109 secondary and tertiary healthcare facilities 95 are being run health department and 14 were operating under PPP mode.

In medical education the Sindh government has 75 institutes including five universities, eight colleges, four dental colleges, 21 nursing schools, five public health schools, 16 community midwifery schools, two nursing colleges, four paramedical institutes, one physiotherapy school, two health technicians schools and seven institutes like NICVD.

12 health projects in progress

Secretary Health further said that twelve program were in progress in health sector. They are EPI, LHWs programme, Maternal and Child Neonatal Child health Programme, TB Control programme, Prevention & Control of Hepatitis; Prevention and control of Blindness, Malaria Control, Nutrition Support, Enhanced HIV/AIDS control, Dengue Control and Prevention, and Accelerated Action and Diabetic Control.

CM Sindh directed the health department to provide weekly progress of these programmes. Health miniter Dr Azra Pechuho also assured that she would be monitoring the progress of these health sector programmes.

He said that after education sector the government was giving top priority to health sector where Rs108.8 billion were being spent during 2018-19 and during Rs100.3 billion have been allocated in the last year and therefore the results should be in accordance with the investment.