July 24, 2008	Thursday	Rajab 20, 1429

KARACHI, July 23: Another 324 primary health care units located in seven districts of the province have been adopted by the federal government in the second phase of People’s Primary Healthcare Initiative (PPHI) recently.

This information was given to provincial Minister for Health Dr Sahgheer Ahmed at a briefing on the healthcare initiatives aimed at replicating the model primary health-care services, first introduced in Rahimyar Khan, for the rural population.

The programme, being run in other provinces as well, was known as the “President’s Primary Healthcare Initiative” until the newly-elected government took charge of the affairs.

Health Secretary Shafiq A. Khoso, Additional Secretary (Development) Dr Sri Chand and PPHI project director Riaz Ahmad Memon attended the briefing.

Dr Memon explained to the minister that another six districts would be taken on board in the third phase, after which all the non-functional basic health units and those still lacking proper healthcare facilities would start providing modern treatment facilities in their respective areas across the province.

In all, 882 health units are to be made functional and modernized under the project in order to ensure proper treatment facilities catering to the needs of the ailing humanity in rural areas.

About half of the primary health units in the province, which are to be adopted by the federal government under the PPHI, are yet to be provided with doctors and paramedical staff.

The minister was informed that 158 of the 558 facilities covered in the first phase did not have any sanctioned expenditure from the government but now a budget had been approved and the units had since been made fully functional.

“Situation is not very ideal in the case of the 324 centres included in the second phase of the PPHI,” said the project director, adding that many of them either lacked the healthcare facilities or were non-functional.

Under an MoU signed between the PPHI and the government of Sindh in February 2007, all district governments are required to transfer their existing budget pertaining to the health units. The federal government has undertaken to provide Rs100,000 to each of these units for their urgent rehabilitation.