QUETTA: Balochistan Chief Minister Sanaullah Zehri has said that government employees, especially doctors, teachers and engineers, if found involved in politics would be dismissed from service.

Presiding over a meeting on healthcare services and the anti-polio campaign here on Sunday, he ordered the authorities concerned to remove employees from service if they were found involved in politics.

Chief Secretary Saifullah Chattah, Senator Shahbaz Khan Durrani and other senior officers attended the meeting.

‘Balochistan govt determined to eradicate terrorism, polio’

Health Secretary Noor-ul-Haq Baloch and EPI Manager Dr Shakir Baloch briefed the meeting on healthcare facilities and the anti-polio campaign.

The meeting was informed that despite the Satellite Town incident the government continued the anti-polio drive.

“The provincial government is determined to eradicating terrorism and polio from the province,” Mr Zehri said.

“Despite attacks on the Polio Centre, the anti-polio campaign was successfully completed in the province,” he said, adding that it was appreciated by the federal government as well as international organisations.

“Therefore, the polio volunteers and security agencies deserve appreciation.”

The chief minister was informed that international organisations in their letters to the health department appreciated the successful completion of the anti-polio campaign despite a suicide attack on security forces and said that the Balochistan government had performed quite well in the war against polio since September last year.

Mr Zehri said if health and education departments performed well the situation would improve in the province.

He issued orders for making district hospitals efficient and competent and said revolutionary changes were required in all departments to improve their performance as summaries and papers works would not serve the purpose.

He also ordered appointment of doctors, especially gynaecologists, in district hospitals and immediate restoration of the Graduate Medical Institute for training of specialist doctors there.

The chief minister said hospitals should be designed on such lines so that patients felt comfortable and their trust restored.

He said lack of aesthetics was a sign of inefficiency and steps would soon be taken to improve the situation.

He ordered immediate activation of the newly-constructed trauma centre and stressed the need for taking strong measures for reducing the child mortality rate.

He directed the health authorities to carry out routine inoculation campaigns to save children from diseases like measles.

Mr Zehri said during his recent visit to Islamabad and Punjab, he discussed the setting up of a cardiac hospital in Quetta.

He said Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif had expressed the desire to lay the foundation stone of the project and ordered the authorities concerned to make arrangements so that it was done early next month.

Published in Dawn, January 18th, 2016