PESHAWAR, Jan 24: The health department has worked out a plan to improve maternity services, it is learnt. Under the plan, jointly drafted by the Health Reform Unit and German NGO GTZ, it will be ensured that each woman accessing the maternity department is attended to by qualified doctors and experienced nurses and midwives.

Health centres will be required to maintain proper registration of incoming mothers and their babies. The centres have been directed to refer patients to districts or tertiary care hospitals to ward off any health threat and at the same time identify high risk pregnancy so that steps can be taken for saving the lives of both mother and baby.

The health department has also issued some guidelines to improve maternity services.

Maternity centres have been asked to keep record of the training of their staff.

“There should be proper coordination among the staff to ensure medical assistance anytime during labour procedure,” the guidelines state.

The guidelines say each baby should be registered in their home districts and relevant information about the baby health should be recorded so that it could be used in future during his/her treatment.

LEAVES SUSPENDED: The health department has suspended leaves of the staff and directed hospitals’ administrations to make arrangements for providing health services to needy mourners during Muharram. An official said directives had been issued to three tertiary care hospitals to constitute mobile hospital teams to accompany processions and provide first-aid services to mourners.