ISLAMABAD: The National Institute of Health (NIH) remains without a permanent head for over six years.

Because of the ad hoc arrangements, major functions of the NIH,such as vaccine manufacturing, have been stopped.

However, Minister for National Health Services (NHS) Saira Afzal Tarar attributed the delay in the appointment of a permanent NIH chief to flaws in the rules.

`New rules are being prepared with the help of the Ministry of Law after which a permanent head will be appointed at the NIH,` she added.

For over 40 years, the NIH has been involved in public health-related activities such as diagnostic services, research and production of biologicals.

The institute is a WHO collaborating centre for viral diagnostics and a regionalreferencelaboratoryforpolio in addition to being a national reference centre for the diagnosis of influ-enza.

It also works as the national laboratory for quality control of drugs and food.

An officer of the health ministry requesting anonymity said in the 1960s a strategic think-tank was established to come up with recommendations for the health sector.

`The think-tank recommended the establishment of four institutes: NIH, Pakistan Medical and Dental Council, College of Physicians and Surgeons and the Pakistan Medical and Research Council.

`The functions of the NIH included advising the federal government on the control of diseases, implementation of schemes and proposals approved by the government and investigation of epidemics and other communicable diseases besides conducting research,` he said.

Moreover, the National Institute of Health is also responsible for controlling environmental degradation with special reference to air, water and food pollution.

It was also tasked with conducting research on the traditional system of medicine and collaborating with international agencies such as the WHO to impart training in drug analysis.

However, because of ad hocism, most of the functions of the NIH have suffered, he said.

An official of the NIH requesting anonymity said for the last six years theinstitute had been run by acting heads.

`About 60 per cent staff of the NIH works in the vaccine production department but during the last a few years 80 per cent of thevaccine production units have been closed. A few years ago, the NIH used to manufacture polio vaccine but later it stopped the process,` he said.

Secretary Health Ayub Sheikh acknowledged that the NIH was facing differentissues.

`Unfortunately, rules of the NIH could not be upgraded with the passage of time. On the other hand, the federal government upgraded the post of the NIH head from Basic Pay Scale (BPS) 19 to BPS-20,` he said.

`As rules of the National Institute of Health are not upgraded, the employees cannot be promoted to the next grade and even new recruitments cannot be made.

`We have been working on the service regulations and within four to six weeks new rules will be notified after which a permanent head of the NIH will be appointed,` Mr Ayub claimed.

Health Minister Saira Afzal Tarar also said because of the absence of service rules it was not possible to promote or recruit any officer as the permanent head of the NIH.

`The Ministry of Law has been contacted to prepare new rules for the NIH and after that it will become possible to promote someone to head the NIH or make a direct recruitment from the private sector,` she said.

In reply to a question, Ms Tarar said the production of vaccines was stopped because the government was distributing free of cost vaccines which was not possible for the NIH to produce.