KARACHI: While the healthcare commission is very much operational in Punjab and efforts are under way in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) to make the body more effective, Sindh lags far behind in the process of making the commission functional, it emerged on Saturday.

The healthcare commission is meant to regulate healthcare practices both in the public and private sectors and ensure standardised service delivery.

According to sources, the Sindh body is still without a chief commissioner and a chief executive officer although the assembly had passed the Sindh Health Commission Act 2013 two and a half years ago.

It was also revealed that the government had notified a board consisting of nine commissioners for the healthcare commission in April this year, but there has been no further progress on the matter.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, members of the advisory committee of the healthcare commission told Dawn that Dr Tipu Sultan, a senior physician, was elected as the chief commissioner in a meeting held two to three months ago.

However, the health department had neither approved the minutes of the meeting nor notified the appointment of Dr Sultan as the chief commissioner.

“In addition, the government has to allocate a budget and set-up an infrastructure to make the healthcare commission operational,” a member of the advisory committee said.

Sources added that apart from usual official lethargy in carrying out work, a major reason behind the delay in making the commission functional has been administrative changes; a new health minister has recently taken over while two health secretaries have been changed only this year.

Health minister Dr Sikander Mandhro, who acts as the chairperson of the advisory committee, was not available for comment.

Upon contact, convener of the healthcare commission Dr Aijaz Ahmed Khanzada explained that the chief health commissioner wasn’t notified because that particular meeting, held on May 30, lacked quorum required under the act.

“Only five commissioners out of nine were present at the meeting. Besides, the selection of the chief commissioner should have been carried out through secret balloting,” he said, adding that his selection had not been part of the meeting’s agenda.

To question why these points were not raised during the meeting, he replied: “It would have been embarrassing since all members were senior doctors.”

According to Dr Khanzada, the health department is working at a fast pace on the subject and the chief minister has approved Rs20m for the healthcare commission.

“There has been a technical glitch, though, as the amount had been requested last year but approved this year. We have re-submitted the proposal to sort out this matter,” he observed.

The department, he pointed out, had acquired the expertise of two non-governmental organisations engaged with the government on health system strengthening under a USAID project to provide technical support in making the healthcare commission functional.

“We are not paying them as they are already working with the health department under an agreement. Their recommendations will be placed before the commission’s board for approval,” he said in reply to another question.

The board’s meeting, he said, would likely be held next week.

KP body ‘partially operational’

On the progress of the KP healthcare commission act passed last year, Dr Mohammad Zafar, chairman of the health commission’s board of governors (BoG), said that it was partially operational in seven districts and one division where 10 health inspectors had been posted and so far 4,000 health facilities had been registered.

“Our provincial office is partially functional. A number of appointments have been made while technical posts have been advertised for,” he said, adding that the commission would be completely functional by end October except in Fata for which a request had been sent to the governor.

An important function of the commission, he said, was to carry out performance audits of health facilities for which initial work had been started.

Sharing the work being carried out by the Punjab Healthcare Commission (PHC) which came into being after an act was passed by the Punjab assembly in 2010, Dr Mohammad Ajmal Khan said the law aimed at improving the quality, safety and efficiency of service at all public and private healthcare establishments including the service being provided by homeopaths and hakims.

“As a result of intense engagement with stakeholders, the commission has been successful in creating a critical mass of reform embracers, which are in turn exerting moral pressure on institutions and generating the momentum required to make the commission effective,” he said.

The commission team, he said, had also investigated the Congo fever cases (reported at the Bahawal Victoria Hospital in Bahawalpur) and forwarded recommendations to the health department.

“In addition, we have established a Congo fever and dengue monitoring cell at the Punjab Health Commission to review day-to-day updates and advise required actions. Health facilities have also been inspected to see that the guidelines (on handling cases of infectious diseases) are being implemented.”

Published in Dawn, August 28th, 2016