KARACHI, Jan 31: The Sindh Health department was, in effect, divided into two divisions on Wednesday with the creation of a public health section headed by a special secretary in grade 20, who will directly report to the provincial health minister.

The idea to bifurcate the department into curative and preventive wings, believed to be a brainchild of the health minister, was formally presented to Sindh Chief Minister Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim about a week ago and a notification to the effect was issued on Wednesday.

According to official documents, the secretary of the health department will continue to be the administrative secretary and exercise all powers except those assigned to the special secretary (public health).

The notification said that the special secretary would be overall incharge of all preventive programmes and projects funded by the provincial or federal government, World Bank and other foreign bodies.

Apart from ensuring proper and judicious utilisation of project funds, the special secretary will take precise and prompt measures to prevent infectious and communicable disease. He will also oversee the medico-legal department, including police surgeons and chemical examiners, drug administration, chief drug inspector and other related wings like Health Management Information System (HMIS) and Telemedicine project.

According to a source, the director general of Health Services -- who was earlier working as coordination and administrative officer, managing the chain of executive district health officers, and involved in transfers and postings of officials at the local level -- has been placed in the Public Health Wing. He will also monitor and inspect preventive programmes, undertake regular weekly inspections of the programmes and projects and submit reports to the special secretary.

District preventive officers, who will now be called public health officers, will directly report to the special secretary. The sitting additional secretary (PM and I) has been posted as special secretary with immediate effect.