PESHAWAR: The Medical Emergency Relief International (Merlin), UK will withdraw services from 108 health facilities in Lower Dir and Buner districts owing to non-availability of funds by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government.

Sources said that the organisation wanted release of outstanding amount of about Rs150 million by October 31 or it would stop activities in the two districts.

Merlin UK has been managing the basic health units under the World Bank`s Multi-Donor Trust Fund project in Lower Dir and Buner since April 29, 2014.

The project ended in June 2015 and the WB asked the health department to prepare another PC-1 for three years to extend the scheme. As the process was being done, the government was allowedby the bank toextend the current project for four months temporarily till the approval of the new project, sources said.

A letter sent to health department by Merlin said that it hadn`t been paid funds for extended four months and couldn`t continue services if the outstanding dues were not paid.

Melin, which manages 72 health facilities in Dir and 36 in Buner, has informed the government that it has appointed specialists, nurses, technicians and female doctors and is about to implement a multi-layer healthcare programme in line with WHO guidelines to benefit the people. It says that end of its services will affect the people. It has demanded funds to continue its operations.

Sources said that the organisation had threatened to wrap up work if dues were not paid by August 31 but later it extended the deadline.

The provincial health department has been contracting out the management of basic health facilities to partner organisations to improve patients` care at primary level.

Sources said that Merlinreceived contract through lawful process and open competition but faced delays in funds since its operations. It received funds in March 2015 instead of April 2014, when the contract was enforced.

After the agreement, a fundflowmechanismhadbeenreached by both the parties under which the government was required to release funds to the organisation on quarterly basis and it should get each installment within 15 days of the first month of a quarter, they added.

The organisation says it has done pre-financing to be able to pay salaries to staff and provided unhampered services to the patients through a comprehensive health model to the people.

Sources said that people had access to basic facilities like labour room, ultra sound and other facilities besides public awareness was scaled up about dengue in Dir where the mosquitoes-borne ailment was endemic since 2013.

Sources said that Merlin had also conducted a baseline survey in collaboration with the department and prepared a strategy to implement the WHO`s minimum healthpackagein thefacilities.People`s Primary Healthcare Initiative (PPHI) and Integrated Health Services are two other organisations, which have been managing basic health units in 19 districts in the province. The government entrusts management of the health facilities to the organisations, which are supposed to recruit staff and provide medicines to the people from the amount provided by the government and WB.

The government has to follow a long process to appoint doctors, nurses and paramedics at basic health units against the sanctioned positions but the organisations hire people without following lengthy rules and therefore the vacant posts are filled.

Project Management Unit`s coordinator Dr Nadeem Ahmed told Dawn that there was no issue and the organisation would soon receive funds. `We have to follow due process,` he said.

As soon as the funds were made available by WB, those will be released to the people concerned, he said. The contract of the organisation would also end on October 31, a date set for withdrawal of services, said Dr Nadeem.