The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has decided in principle to handover ambulances of all the hospitals to Rescue 1122 in order to improve the ambulatory services and to ensure its all-time availability across the province. The matter would be presented in the upcoming meeting of the provincial cabinet for final approval.
This was decided in a high-level meeting held here on Wednesday with the Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Mahmood Khan in the chair to discuss the reform initiatives of the health department. Provincial Health Minister Taimur Salim Jhagra, Secretary Relief, Secretary Health, Director General Health Services, Director General Rescue 1122 and other relevant authorities attended the meeting.
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Chief Minister on the occasion directed the authorities of health and relief departments immediately finalize all the matters regarding handing over of ambulances to the Rescue 1122. The meeting also decided to devise proper mechanism for adhoc recruitments as well as to expedite ongoing recruitment process of doctors and other medical staff and decided that a meeting of all concerned departments would be convened next week to finalize the mechanism to this effect.
Similarly, outsourcing of diagnostic and non-clinical services in the secondary hospitals was also decided in principle. The forum discussed matters related to the posting of management and doctors of general cadre and decided to empower the health department for the posting and transfer against all administrative posts except posting transfer on key administrative slots of the department.
It was also decided to implement the E-transfer policy in the department would be implemented to streamline the posting/transfer of doctors and other staff in the health department. The meeting further decided to empower the Independent Monitoring Unit (IMU) of the health department to monitor the District Headquarter Hospitals and other secondary care hospitals with the special focus on a referral system and availability of emergency medicines in these hospitals.
Talking to the participants, the chief minister said that provision of maximum possible facilities to the general masses with regard to health service delivery was a top priority of his government and as such, all the available resources would be utilized to strengthen the health sector in the province. The chief minister directed to ensure all-time availability of essential medicines in the emergency departments of all public sector hospitals further directing the official concerned to work on the outsourcing of emergency medicines supply to hospitals in order to make it process transparent. He also directed for immediate transfers of all clerical staff and section officers of health department working on the same post for more than two years. The meeting was informed that all the preparations had been finalized to launch the extension of Sehat Insaaf Card scheme to the cent per cent population of the province. it was further informed that immunization coverage in the province had considerably increased whereas a significant increase in the availability of medicines in the basic and rural health centres has also been reported during the last couple of months. The forum was told that work on the outsourcing of various hospitals in merged areas was in progress. The chief minister on this occasion also directed the concerned quarters to compulsorily include the purchase of medical equipment in all the PC-Is of new hospitals so that procurement of medical equipment could be ensured with the completion of buildings for new hospitals.
