PESHAWAR, Aug 31: NWFP Health Minister Inayatullah Khan has said that different models of public and private partnership are being explored to use the full potential of under-utilised basic health units (BHUs).

He was talking to a World Bank mission at the Health Secretariat here on Wednesday. Provincial Secretary Health Abdus Samad Khan and chief of the Health Sector Reforms Unit Dr Mohammad Zaffar were present on the occasion.

The mission explored the possibility of mutual cooperation for making healthcare delivery system efficient in the province. It discussed improvement in quality of services, boosting up of primary and secondary healthcare facilities and strengthening of healthcare system at district level.

Capacity building of training institutes, public and private partnership, hospital autonomy and establishment of efficient monitoring and evaluation mechanism were also discussed.

Commenting on the proposals, the minister said the provincial government was going to invite private sector for making non-functional BHUs efficient through public and private partnership in backward areas.

He said loan facility would be extended to those interested in providing efficient healthcare facilities.

He said the government was paying special attention to prevention of diseases.

A project for prevention of thalasseamia had been launched in public sector in the province and Rs11 million allocated for creating awareness about hepatitis, he added.