PESHAWAR, Oct 16: The provincial health department, in collaboration with the World Health Organisation (WHO), is launching a basic development need (BDN) project in five districts of the province, officials said.

The project, to be launched next month, is replication of the basic development need programme of the WHO, aimed at women’s empowerment and community participation. It had been started in Nowshera and Peshawar district in 1995.

Following its success, the NWFP Health Department has approved a PC-1 of the project for Dera Ismail Khan, Bannu, Upper Dir, Buner and Battagram districts, to be completed over a period of three years at the cost of Rs12.5 million.

The government will provide Rs7.5 million while the rest has been pledged by the WHO. Under the project, well-equipped labour rooms would be established in rural health centres in the designated districts to improve mother and child health services at the community level.

“The WHO would also provide training to 15 Lady Health Visitors (LHVs). Each of the labour room will have three LHVs, who would provide mother and child health services round-the-clock,” said, WHO’s Dr Muhammad Saeed Akbar Khan.

Meanwhile, the federal government is also launching a five-year BDN programme in all the provinces and Fata. It has allocated Rs1,700 million of which Rs75million would be spent in Fata, said the officials. The umbrella PC-1 of the programme is being processed at the Ecnec, Islamabad.

The NWFP will receive Rs240 million from the federal government that would either be allocated to the five districts already selected by the health department or BDN projects would be launched in another six districts.

“We have already designated Orakzai Agency for the project which would later be expanded to other tribal agencies,” said a health official adding that it was aimed at poverty alleviation through women empowerment. Village development committees (VDCs) will be established in the selected tribal unit.

Besides financial help the WHO will also provide technical support to the VDCs in identification and implementation of the projects.

The official said that a strategy would be adopted in selected areas which would be in conformity with their socially acceptable norms while computer centres would be established to build capacity of women, he said, adding that development of social sectors such as education, health and skill development of women would be focused. He said in order to create an atmosphere conducive for development, basic primary education would be provided and embroidery centres established in these districts.

Centres would be set up on the pattern of Nowshera district where 13 vocational training centres had been established for women. WHO’s official said that they had trained 44 women health activists who worked as volunteers in Nowshera district and a similar strategy would be adopted in other areas.

He said under the BDN volunteers would visit houses, weigh children and maintain a growth monitoring chart. In case of low weight, the child will be referred to local health centres for further treatment.