KARACHI, Feb 3: The director-general of health, Prof Rasheed Jooma, has said that the federal government is formulating a new health policy to improve public access to healthcare institutions and facilities.

Talking to Dawn during his recent visit to the city, Prof Jooma said that he personally felt that Pakistan was not doing much to achieve the Millennium Development Goals in the health sector.

There was a pressing need to ensure that more and more women gave birth to their children at hospitals and clinics where properly trained healthcare staff should be available to take care of them, he said.

He said that the government was considering introducing some incentives for mothers-to-be so that they could avail themselves of proper healthcare facilities.

Regarding the new health policy, he said, the government would make sure that patients got improved health services and medicines needed for their treatment.

Moreover, the health ministry was also working for availability of much-needed commonly used drugs at affordable prices in the market, he said.

He said that the government was also giving due importance to the career structure of doctors and paramedical staff working at hospitals across the country. And for the purpose a report prepared in the past by the health workers career reforms commission was also being taken into consideration so that changes could be made in salary structures for enhancement and timely promotion of doctors and other medical staff.

The remuneration could also be linked with performances of employees, he added.

He said that there was also a realisation in the ministry that unregulated health facilities should be regulated by the government.