District hospitals, units to work under Sindh health department

With the abolishment of the Sindh Local Government Ordinance 2001, most of the health units in the province have come under the control of Sindh health department. Sources said on Wednesday that there were 18 District Headquarter Hospitals, 44 Taluka Headquarter Hospitals, 783 Basic Health Units (BHUs), 125 Rural Health Centres (RHCs), 470 Dispensaries, 12 Urban Health Centres (UHCs) and 41 Shafakhanas running all over the province.
Earlier, these health units were working under the authority of district governments. Sources further said that more than 500 BHUs were currently running under the Peoples Primary Health Initiatives (PPHI), which would remain under the control of PPHI management.
There was no need of issuance of notification under the law to transfer these health units under the control of provincial health department, sources said adding that these units would now be run by the respective health directors of the districts. However, the health department issued two separate notifications regarding the changes in designations of the health officers working in district and Taulka levels.
62 posts of BPS 17 including Deputy Director HMIS, Procurement officers, Epidemiologists, Field Supervisors, Deputy District Officers (DDOs), Surveillance Officers, Co-ordinators and others had also been abolished by the health department, sources said adding that these officers would be adjusted on the revived posts of Health Educators (HEs), Health Education Officers (HEOs) and others.
The health department abolished posts of BPS 18 including Deputy Directors (DDs) Preventive, Paramedical and Deputy District officers (DDOs) of RCH, HRD, Preventive and Administration. Similarly, officers posted on the said jobs had been adjusted on the revived posts of Senior Medical Officers (SMOs), Additional Directors (ADs) and District Co-ordinators (DCs).
Executive District Officers (EDOs) will work as District Health Officers (DHOs), while EDOs of five districts will work as Directors health. An officer told Business Recorder that revival of the old system had enhanced the powers of the officers sitting in the Sindh secretariat, whereas SLGO 2001 had transferred the powers to lower level. He said that now every officer posted at the district and taluka level would come to divisional headquarters and Karachi for every kind of approval.