LAHORE: All district coordination officers were asked on Thursday to single out the corrupt and inefficient heads of district and tehsil headquarters hospitals and executive district officer (health) in the province whom thegovernment plans to kick out early next month.

They were told by Chief Secretary Zahid Saeed during a marathon conference held here at the Civil Secretariat that the Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department was already conducting the exercise which was a part of an overall programme to improve the working of district and tehsil level hospitals, of ficial sources said.

The DCOs were asked to send their reports independent of the health department within a week so that those not delivering andplundering public money could be shown the door next month.

Those found guilty would never be given any administrative post in future, the chief secretary reportedly told the DCOs.

Official sources said that under the `overhauling` programme, initially medical superintendents of 25 DHQ and 15 THQ hospitals would be given full administrative and financial autonomy so that they could adopt the required measures without going through the prolonged official procedures.

There would be health councilsin every district and tehsil, having Rs15 million and Rs5million funds for their respective district and tehsil headquarters hospitals.

The programme would later be replicated in the rest of the districts and tehsils.

Right now, all hospitals get their knances through the health department.

Meanwhile, the chief secretary asked the DCOS to regularly visit the DHQ and THQ hospitals to ensure cleanliness and provision of medicines and basic facilities to people.

They were ordered to also checkchild labour at brick kilns and proceed sternly against those indulging in it.

The DCOs of the districts declared vulnerable to dengue and polio were asl(ed to pro-actively deal with the menaces. Those of the flood prone districts were instructed to personally check embankments of rivers and canals toavertany breaches.

The home secretary briefed the meeting on the law and order situation in the province, and the DCOs were also instructed on how to improve it.