MIRPURKHAS, April 23: The President’s Primary Healthcare Initiative programme started in the district in June 2007 to ensure basic health facilities on the people’s doorstep is facing acute shortage of staff.

The district support manager of the programme, Huzoor Bux Leghari, has told this to Dawn. He said under an agreement with the district government on May 16, 2007, management of 98 health facilities — including 38 basic health units, 47 dispensaries (government and district council dispensaries), 11 mother and child health centres, and two Unani Shifa Khana — were handed over to him by the district government.

He said that the programme was facing acute shortage of staff as 56 male medical officers, 28 women medical officers, 11 gynaecologists, 23 HT/dispensers, 83 female health visitors, 33 staff nurses, 121 midwives, 66 ward servants, 33 attendants, 57 naib qasids, 74 security guards, 109 sanitary workers and 93 gardeners’ posts are still vacant.

He said that 17 closed health centres were made functional while eight female medical officers were recruited on salary of Rs35,000 per month to provide better facilities to people.

He said that the district health department was providing Rs3,641,000 per month for running these 98 health centres and from this budget medicines were being purchased for the centres.

He said that he had ensured availability of anti-snake venom (ASV) and anti-rabies (ARV) vaccines at the health centres that were previously not available in the taluka hospital and rural health centres of the district.

He said that due to strict checking of the staff, OPD has now been doubled in 98 health centres.

Mr Leghari said that a philanthropist had donated Rs500,000 to this programme.

He further said that from the allocated budget two dilapidated buildings of the basic health units were repaired and maintenance work on anther BHU was in progress.

He claimed that due to honest and just utilisation of funds they had also saved Rs20 million.

He demanded of the government to recruit staff on the vacant posts to give relief to poor people and patients of the district.