PESHAWAR, Sept 28: The Health Department has ordered heads of all healthcare institutions to discourage absenteeism, ensuring the availability of the staff.

The directive, issued by the director-general health services on Sept 19, was circulated to all executive district officers, health, in which they had been asked to ensure the implementation of directives of the health minister, health secretary and DGHS within the next seven days.

It stated that higher authorities had noticed that EDOs, during their field visits, reported the absence of medical officers, paramedical staff and other employees, but these reports were not pursued. It added that officials concerned were directed to report cases of absenteeism to the DGHS’ office.

EDOs, it said, should furnish lists of absent employees to the DGHS’s office within a week’s time, adding that interim reports should be sent if further time was required to initiate action against an employee in the regard.

The director, administration, at the DGHS’ office has been asked to pursue such reports sent to him by EDOs concerned against employees of hospitals, basic health units, dispensaries and civil hospitals located in all districts.

The only high-profile directive that was implemented in full was the suspension of two doctors and three clerks at the district headquarters hospital in Daggar, Buner, the hometown of the Speaker of the NWFP Assembly, Bakht Jehan Khan.

The Speaker had convened a special meeting on Sept 10 in his chamber which was attended, besides others health minister Inayatullah Khan, chief secretary Ijaz Qureshi and secretary health Dr Ihsanul Haq. The speaker had strongly recommended the suspension of two doctors and three clerks.

Orders were issued the next day, because the health secretary had moved the summary to the chief secretary the same day on which the meeting had occurred. Interestingly, no reason was assigned for the suspension of these five employees.