PESHAWAR: The health department is yet to make fully functional its regional directorates to ensure resolution of financial and administrative issues of employees and hospitals in the respective districts and improve patients’ care.

The decision to set up regional health directorates was taken to develop a governance structure for facilitation of employees and quick disposal of issues besides making sure smooth supply of medicines and equipments to hospitals at the regional level.

Four regional directors, one each in central Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (Peshawar), Malakand, Abbottabad and south region had been appointed last year to devolve powers and resolve matters at the local level.

Officials said that Peshawar regional directorate had been dormant since last year when the health department ordered establishing of four directorates with separate budget and staff.

Peshawar director has sought staff and offices to start working

The central health directorate is supposed to look after seven districts including Peshawar, Nowshera, Mardan, Swabi, Charsadda and two newly-merged districts. However, owing to lack of infrastructure, the employees and other matters from the relevant districts are still handled by directorate-general health services (DGHS).

The move is meant to facilitate the health employees with regard to their financial matters and leaves etc as the regional directorate under the law have been empowered to tackle the affairs of employees till BPS-16. It is meant to enable the DGHS to focus on national matters and meetings with ministers and international organisations instead of indulging in small matters.

The regional directors can propose posting of employee in BPS-17 and above to DGHS for improvement of healthcare services.

In Peshawar, the position was held by senior officials on ad hoc basis as additional charge from time to time. Only recently the health department has appointed a regular regional director to speed up work. The director, according to officials in health department, has requested for staff and offices to activate the position and lessen burden on DGHS.

Officials said that there would be one director and deputy director in addition to auxiliary staff in the directorate to start operations.

They said that divisional directorates existed till 2003 and were useful in dealing with affairs of health department at divisional level in Dera Ismail Khan, Peshawar, Swat and Abbottabad. The directorates were abolished after the enforcement of Local Government Ordinance, 2002, they said.

The government has also allocated budget for regional directorates. Except Peshawar and Mansehra, the other two regions have started work. In two regions, the directorates have got offices and infrastructure and stared operations partially.

Officials said that Peshawar regional directorate was very important as it covered the central districts. They said that strengthening of the directorate would resolve timely the issues of seven districts.

Matters relating to regions remain stuck in DGHS, which is usually pre-occupied with policy matters, public health emergencies, immunisation, Covid-19, dengue, projects and Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations and has little time for local affairs.

Officials said that regional directors were authorised for intra-district transfers and postings. They said that it was not possible for DGHS to look into the matters of the whole province. They added that the concept of establishing regional directorate was approved last year because health employees used to visit Peshawar which affected patients’ care.

They said that prompt response and surveillance of all the health apparatus in the relevant region during epidemics and public health issues and disasters was possible in the presence of the required infrastructure.

“According to job description, directors have to coordinate with commissioners regarding health matters and monitor procurements and ensure implementation of policies in the hospitals of their respective areas,” said officials.

Published in Dawn, February 3rd, 2023