PESH AWA R: The health department has decided to evaluate performance of district health officers and medical superintendents on the basis of set targets to improve patients`care.

`The officials will face disciplinary action for their failure to run the district health facilities properly,` said a notification issued by health department recently.

The new mechanism adopted by department is aimed at judging performance of DHO and MS in every district by taking into account the rate of bed occupancy in district and tehsil hospitals andtaking steps where the indicators aren`t being met.

The district health information system, which collects and sends data about disease prevalence in the province, will also compile reports about the working of DHOs and MS in the respective districts.

`The DHO, who heads district health system, and MS, who leads DHQs, THQs, category D hospitals, have to meet performance indicators through a system of monitoring and supervision,` officials said.

The indicators include adequate human resources, planning, management and presence of staff with index of filled posts.

The DHOs have been recently delegated category-1 powers by the health department after which they can take decision about financial matters for which they previously sought approval of director-general health services. Now they also enjoy more administrative powers and they are expected to show good work.

The system seeks to ensure finan-cial management, availability of medicines, essential equipment, ambulances etc to improve patients` care.

An objective evaluation of performance is at the core of the mechanism under which regular review meetings would be held to dwell upon administrative and financial issues at hospitals and take quick decisions.

Independent Monitoring Unit (IMU), which is reporting directly to the chief minster about presence of staff and medicines etc at staterun health facilities, have also been tasked to keep the DHOs and MS under watch.

`The professional DHO and MS are capable to deliver if they are entrusted with responsibilities, said a senior deistrict health of ficer.

He said that they were on board with the health department. He said that the MS also had powers, which qualified him to take financial and administrative decision after fulfilling the desired formali-ties at the local level.

Health delivery is a science, which can be documented to be used in future infrastructure planning.

If a district headquarters hospital is reporting 20 to 30 per cent visits by patients, then the MS would be asked to show the reason and face action. While new health facilities should be included in the planning to cope with increasing number of patients in the respective district if a DHQ reports 80 per cent or more patients` flow.

Owing to lack of proper planking, the area-wise presence of facilities in the province is not justified as most of the schemes are politically motivated. Non-existence of a formula to decide about the correct location for construction of new hospitals, the lawmakers usually sanction facilities without thinking about the patients.

Scientifically, new hospitals should be built on basis of needs of population.