24 July 2004	Saturday	06 Jamadi-us-Saani 1425

KARACHI, July 23: Sindh chief minister's advisor on Health Faisal Malik on Friday said stern action will be taken against un-registered blood banks, besides conducting audit of foreign-funded health programmes.

During a briefing about the EPI, blood transfusion and the World Food Programme, in Sindh, he also directed provincial health authorities to provide better health care facilities and related information to pregnant women.

He directed the authorities to take immediate action against unregistered and illegal blood banks in the province and issue final notices to bring their working in line with the relevant rules and regulations.

Mr Malik said functioning of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and foreign-funded health schemes would be monitored in order to check the alleged wastage of over 70 per cent of the funds. A change should be brought in the NGOs' working according to our culture, to get the desired results, he added.

Mr Malik said that it was vital to achieve the objectives of the anti-polio campaign, adding: "A huge amount of money is being spent on vaccination campaigns and it will be a complete wastage of funds, if the desired objectives are not achieved," he observed.

He said a committee would be formed to compile a report on the number of children who were administered anti-polio vaccine during the recent campaign, and also on the number of people involved in that process, besides use of the funds.

Mr Malik directed Health EDO to present a report regarding the number of blood banks functioning in Karachi and asked him to direct all blood banks in Sindh to evolve an effective coordination among them, so that in case of any emergency, blood of different groups could be provided from one district to other.

He directed for launching a campaign for provision of better health care facilities to pregnant women in the province, especially in the remote areas, to control maternal mortality rate.

Sindh Health Secretary Ashiq Hussain Memon, DG Health Hussain Bakhsh Memon and Additional Secretary Iqbal Dewan were also present on the occasion. -PPI