PESHAWAR, Sept 29: The NWFP health department is yet to establish computerized network at the directorate-general health services offices despite having spent a large amount, official sources said.

“The computerization of the department has been started in August last year, but it is yet to be completed, owing to the efforts of the vested interest groups who do not want computerization of the record”, said the official.

Initially the directorate-general of the health services (DGHS) diverted an amount of Rs3.5 million from the women health project to establish a computerised network in the department so that the officials could not face difficulty in tracing the data, official said.

The DGHS had purchased 53 P-III computers, each costing Rs42,000 at the time of launching the project. Now, P-IV was available at Rs27,000, he said. Supply of the computers had been completed in May this year.

“But the computer sets are lying on tables and gathering dust. All are useless as there is no training programme for the staff members to enable them to use these computers”, said the official.

He said that still all the 250 staffers of the office were doing the official work manually and the record was being maintained by the clerks on registers.

The clerks of the departments do not want computerization of the record, because it would deprive them of their powers, the official alleged.

The network was initially planned at the five targeted districts of the Women Health Project, but the then DG Health, diverted the amount to the DGHS office.

It had also been planned that a central computer lab would be established with four servers, that would connect all of the offices and sections with each other to facilitate them in reaching data and record, said the official, adding that nothing of the sort had taken place.