PESHAWAR, Oct 5: NWFP Health Minister Inayatullah has underlined the need for promoting the culture of research.

Speaking as chief guest at the concluding ceremony of a three-day workshop on research on Thursday, he said that health schemes were initiated without taking into account the ground realities. “That is why, our projects fail to yield fruitful results.”

He deplored that the education system was not encouraging research.

He said there was dire need for research to find solutions to complex health problems. The minister said that because of lack of a primary healthcare system in the country problems caused by various diseases were increasing rapidly. He said the prevailing tax-based financing system was leading to failure to provide adequate health facilities to the poor.

He said the provincial government was taking initiatives to reform the health sector.

He said the government was making efforts to introduce a social health system in the province.

He said initiatives were being taken to strengthen hospital autonomy and extend it to the district level.

The minister said operationalisation of basic health units under public-private partnership was in its last stages. The workshop was organised by the health department, the GTZ and Save the Children.—PPI