PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mohammad Sohail Afridi has declared a ‘nursing emergency’ in the province, and ordered filling the vacant posts immediately to help address the shortage of trained nurses.

Mr Afridi said that the vacant posts be filled through Educational Testing and Evaluation Agency, according to a statement issued from his office on Friday. The chief minister, while chairing a meeting of the health department, emphasised the need for rapid action, stronger oversight and bold administrative measures to address immediate challenges, strengthen service delivery and to ensure that healthcare reforms translated into public benefit.

Mr Afridi instructed the health department to issue a fresh communication to the Nursing Council for the clearance of 650 trained nursing slots that remained pending.

The statement said the meeting reviewed staffing gaps, service delivery constraints and the status of ongoing reforms across major health facilities.

Also orders proactive measures to curb polio, dengue and malaria

The chief minister, while stressing the importance of adequate staffing at health facilities, ordered early completion of the recruitment process for doctors and specialists making sure that merit and transparency were upheld at all costs.

He directed for strong and proactive measures to curb polio, dengue and malaria, and emphasised strict implementation of the Dengue Action Plan, while also ordering that the procurement process of medicines and medical equipment must begin from January 1.

The chief minister directed that the Healthcare Commission be strengthened through pragmatic steps and instructed the health department to examine proposals for establishing new multi-bed hospitals in Peshawar, Kohat and Malakand due to the growing pressure on the provincial capital’s tertiary care health facilities. He stressed that rising population demanded swift, practical and realistic strategies to ensure sustained service delivery.

The chief minister also reviewed progress on the construction of Khyber Institute of Child Health and instructed that the pace of work be expedited to ensure its early completion and operationalisation.

The meeting was informed that 182 projects had been included in the current Annual Development Programme, of which, 76 were nearing completion. Progress continues on nine flagship initiatives, including the establishment of a burns centre in Dera Ismail Khan, new labs in hospitals on need basis, establishment of Kohat Institute of Medical Sciences, reconstruction of Liaquat Memorial Teaching Hospital, Kohat, and standardisation of DHQ Hospital Mardan.

The forum was briefed on significant advancement in 51 high priority projects, including revamping of health facilities and establishment of a paraplegic centre in merged areas, upgradation of the accident and emergency unit and ICU at Hayatabad Medical Complex, establishment of a nursing college in Upper Chitral, rehabilitation of health centres across the province and strengthening of the EPI programme.

Published in Dawn, November 22nd, 2025