PESHAWAR: Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Ali Amin Khan Gandapur, has directed for the removal of District Health Officers (DHOs) in certain districts due to poor performance and directed that professional and competent DHOs be posted strictly on a merit basis, emphasizing that there can be no compromise on the provision of healthcare services to the public.
These directives he issued, while presiding over a meeting of the Independent Monitoring Unit (IMU) of the Health Department.
The meeting was attended by Advisor to the Chief Minister on Health Ehtesham Ali, Secretary Health Shahidullah, Director General of Health Services Dr. Muhammad Saleem, Director Independent Monitoring Unit, and other relevant officials.
Participants of the meeting were briefed on the objectives, responsibilities, performance, challenges, and the future roadmap of the Independent Monitoring Unit.
Additionally, the actions taken by the Health Department based on IMU reports were reviewed in the meeting.
The Chief Minister directed the health authorities to take immediate actions on the IMU reports and instructed that the department should also provide details of the actions taken on the reports of IMU.
He further directed to strengthen the monitoring of healthcare facilities and to get public feedback regarding service delivery and facilities provided in health centres across the province.
The Chief Minister emphasized that doctors and other staff who demonstrate good performance should be encouraged and appreciated.
He also directed to ensure that all types of machinery and medical equipment in hospitals are fully operational and emergency medicines are available in public hospitals in the province.
Ali Amin Gandapur also directed for strict actions against habitually absent doctors and other medical staff, emphasizing that the attendance of doctors and medical staff at health centers must be ensured at all costs, and no leniency should be shown in this regard.
During the briefing, it was informed that the IMU conducts an average of 3,972 monitoring visits to healthcare facilities monthly, including 3,428 visits to Primary Health Centers and 544 visits to Secondary Health Centers.
In 2024, a total of 36,244 monitoring visits were conducted at primary and secondary health centers, out of which 6,094 visits were in merged districts.
Monthly reports of these visits are prepared and sent to the relevant stakeholders for decision-making.
These reports cover aspects such as cleanliness of health centers, availability of doctors and paramedical staff, medical equipment and machinery, medicines, and public satisfaction, the authorities told and added that the IMU also monitors Welfare Centers of Population Welfare department. Last year, approximately 9,000 visits were conducted to these centres.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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