Health adviser wants district specialists to fight diseases

PESHAWAR: Adviser to Chief Minister on Health Ahtisham Ali on Monday said that it was the priority of the provincial government to improve healthcare services in remote areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Speaking at a meeting after assuming charge of the Health Department, he directed the relevant officials to ensure the availability of medical staff and equipment to make health centers fully functional in the rural areas of the province.

He instructed the immediate activation of all four Regional Directorates to decentralize administrative tasks and reduce the workload on the offices of the Secretary the Health and Director General of Health.

The advsier said that appointments of the district specialists would be made promptly with the special focus on immunization to eliminate epidemic diseases. He instructed the relevant authorities to ensure the spraying of anti-dengue medicines in hotspot areas.

Ahtisham Ali emphasized that controlling the spread of dengue was one of his top priorities. “The dengue season is at its peak, and we must limit its spread through public cooperation,” he stated.

Providing details on dengue cases, the adviser said that there were currently 18 active dengue cases in the province with 119 individuals having recovered.So far, 137 cases of dengue have been confirmed across the province, he said.

He noted that no deaths had been reported this year due to dengue.Earlier, he was briefed on various administrative and operational matters of the Health Department. He was briefed on the department’s attached formations, autonomous bodies, and other related affairs.

Meanwhile, at a separate meeting, Ahtisham Ali directed the officials to take steps and conduct anti-dengue sprays to control the spread of the disease.He directed the Independent Monitoring Unit (IMU) to regularly submit reports on the attendance of the staff, the availability of facilities, the functionality of medical equipment, and other administrative matters. He called for performance meetings based on these reports to improve healthcare delivery.

Similarly, a meeting on health development projects and ongoing schemes was held in Mardan with Ahtisham Ali in the chair.

Special Secretary Health Habibullah, Director General Health Dr Muhammad Saleem, Additional Director General Public Health Dr Shahid Younas, District Health Officer (DHO) and Medical Superintendent (MS) DHQ Mardan Dr Javed and other officials attended the meeting.

During the meeting, it was decided that the Health Department would issue the notification for BDS house job placements at District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital Mardan. The officials were instructed to ensure the availability of a laparoscopic machine for graduate students at DHQ Hospital Mardan.They were directed to expedite the ongoing construction work at Mardan District Hospital to complete it as soon as possible.