Advisor to Chief Minister on Health Khawaja Salman Rafique has directed that the EDOs (Health) of the districts start administrative and technical preparations for taking over of PRSP-managed health facilities and assets by end of June this year. He issued the directive while chairing the monthly Executive Districts Officers (Health) meeting with Secretary Primary and Secondary Healthcare Ali Jan Khan and Director General Health Services Punjab Dr Mukhtar Hussein Syed.
Besides the EDOs (H) of Punjab's 36 districts, Chief Minister Roadmap team, Punjab Information Technology Board, Policy and Strategic Planning Unit, Program Managers, Special Monitoring Unit, UNICEF and international development partners attended the meeting.
Khawaja Salman Rafique, said that the districts that continuously show red on Key Performance Indicators would face punitive action. He directed the EDOs of 14 districts managed by PRSP to form Committees at District Level to oversee the transition and ensure that health facilities and other assets were handed over in a professional way and adequate supply and stocks were planned in advance. He said vacant positions at respective districts would be announced as per procedures.
Secretary Health directed the districts to improve the status of medicine stock and supplies as per guidelines by the Chief Minister. He also reviewed data on medicine procurement and urged that EDOs must ensure provision of maximum medicines for emergency and outdoor patients.
Director General Health Services Punjab Dr Mukhtar Hussain Syed directed the districts to address undue delays in development projects and said districts having issues must contact his office for any support.
Director EPI Dr Munir Ahmed informed that as per Nielsen Survey, Punjab's Routine Immunisation (Penta 3) had reached 86 per cent and the progress was commended by the Chair. He shared that Polio campaign in April would be held in selected 14 districts. He also said that 25th April was National Switch Day from trivalent to bivalent polio vaccine. He emphasised that Pakistan must honour its global commitments and no OPV be present in cold chain in any health facility. He said that all EDO(H) must obtain certificate from all facilities' incharges and certify about the district.
The Chief Minister Roadmap team shared data analysis on staff presence, biometric attendance, hospital cleanliness, medicines availability and stock/supplies situation, safe deliveries with an overall EDOs scorecard. It was shared hospital cleanliness showed improvement.