DHOs warned of action over poor performance
Bureau Report
2025-01-22
PESHAWAR: The adviser to chief minister on health, Ihtisham Ali, has asked district health officers to improve their performance and release timely funds to the hospitals being run under public-private partnership.
He was addressing the third district health officers (DHOs) conference. He stressed the need for improved performance, warning underperforming DHOs to reform their approach or face consequences.
He said that the DHOs, who delayed releasing funds to public-private partnership hospitals, would be held accountable and removed from their positionsifnecessary.
He announced a strict ban on cross-cadre postings to ensure that relevant positions were filled by professionals from the appropriate cadre.
Acknowledging exemplary performance, he awarded appreciation certificates to the DHOs of Malakand, Kohat and Khyber.
He ordered immediate utilisation of funds lying with primary care management committees (PCMCs) to provide relief to people.
The conference was attended by Health Secretary Adeel Shah, Special Secretary Health Habibullah, Director General Health Dr Mohammad Saleem, chief of health sector reforms unit (HSRU), regional directors, programme directors and all DHOs.
The conference discussed human resources in hospitals, availability of medicines, immunisation, DHIS-2 reporting, polio eradication and other health-related matters.
A special review of vertical health programmes was also presented for the first time in the DHOs conference.
Dr Ejaz, the director of IMU, provided an update on decisions made during the last two DHO conferences.
He said that 86 per cent of districts in settled areas had placed medicine orders through the newly-launched portal.
The orders of 33 non-compliant vendors, who failed to supply medicines on time, were cancelled in 27 districts. The performance of DHOs was evaluated, with a special focus on the implementation of vertical programmes.
The DHO of Malakand was lauded for providing medicines to those facilities where drugs were urgently needed. The initiative increased medicine availability from 49 per cent to 80 per cent in the district.
The director general of Drugs and pharmacy Services told the conference that of 7,217 medicine samples tested, 6,888 were cleared. However, 15 districts were reported to have issues with the functionality of medical equipment. In December, 1,506 childbirths were recorded at public health centres across the province.