PESHAWAR, June 22: NWFP Health Minister Inayatullah Khan has ordered preparation of a comprehensive and workable plan for improvement in nursing cadre and provision of rapid chances of promotion to nurses.

He issued the directives at a meeting held on Wednesday to discuss ways of reforming the service structure for nurses.

The meeting was briefed about a report of the committee constituted for making recommendations to improve nursing cadre.

The report noted that the number of nurses in public sector healthcare facilities in the NWFP was very low as compared to the number of patients, and suggested better facilities, favourable working conditions and speedy chances of promotion for nurses.

The report stated that according to the standard set by the Pakistan Nursing Council, only 17 per cent of the required number of nurses was available in the province where 10,140 more nurses were needed for efficient care of patients.

It proposed the creation of management, teaching and service cadres to provide better chances of promotion to nurses and an increase in stipends for lady health visitors and midwives.

The committee presented a six-year plan for improvement in nursing cadre and recruitment of nurses, which would cost Rs308.6 million.

The committee also recommend provision of more staff to overcome shortage of teachers in the healthcare training institutes.

The minister lauded the report and directed the committee to submit it to the health department’s research and reform unit for further deliberation.

He also issued directive for increasing the seats for backward areas of the province in healthcare training institutes and stressed the need for establishing the institutes in the backward areas.

The provincial secretary and director-general of health department, director of the Provincial Health Services Academy, representatives of nurses and others participated in the meeting.