PESHAWAR, Jan 10: The NWFP Health Minister, Inyatullah Khan, has said a committee has been looking into the pros and cons of the institution-based practice (IBP) of doctors and the government will decide its fate after receiving the report of the committee.

“We know that the IBP had been started by the previous government at the hospitals in hasty manner, but we are looking into it,” the minister said at the Mulaqaat Programme arranged by Khyber Union of Journalists here on Friday. He added the government was also investigating the way in which autonomy had been granted to teaching hospitals.

According to him, the MMA government was aware of the problems faced by the people and was making efforts to provide health care facilities to them.

He said the government was also giving top priority to the rural health centres, basic health units, civil hospitals and district headquarters hospitals so that the patients could be treated locally and burden on the hospitals of the city could lessen. The minister lauded the past government which appointed lady health workers and launched anti-polio and anti-Aids campaigns to raise public awareness regarding these ailments.

About the improvement in the health delivery system, he said efforts were being made to provide the paramedics and nurses service structures and better working environment. He agreed that there was a lot of embezzlement in the hospitals, because of the mismanagement of the affairs. However, he said the government would soon introduce a transparent system of drug purchase at the government-run hospitals so that the patients could receive free treatment at the hospitals.

Similarly, he said measures were being taken to provide money from Zakat funds to the deserving patients and put in place a system where no one could misuse the Zakat meant for the poor patients.

Inayatullah said the sale of recycled syringes posed a big problem for human health and caused dangerous diseases like hepatitis. He also said that all the people involved in this heinous crime would be dealt with sternly and nobody would be allowed to play with the health of the people.

About the issue of contract employment in health department, he said he would raise the issue at the cabinet meeting. The government, he said wanted to take into confidence the medical community, including doctors, paramedics and nurses to run the system transparently and benefit the poor people.

He also said measures would be taken to put brakes on the sale and marketing of the fake and spurious drugs and save the people from the ill-effects of the fake drugs. However, he said that doing all this needed the cooperation of the people, doctors and related staff to help the government in its efforts.