PESHAWAR, July 2: The NWFP health department has launched a project in five districts of the province which is aimed at empowering the women and enhancing community participation there.
The project has been initiated in collaboration with the World Health Organisation (WHO), replicating a similar programme launched in 1995 by the organisation which catered to the basic development needs of the Nowshera and Peshawar districts.
The health department has got a PC-1 for the project approved for Dera Ismail Khan, Bannu, Upper Dir, Buner and Battagram districts, to be completed over a period of three years and costing about Rs12.5 million.
The government has provided Rs7.5 million while the rest is to be provided by the WHO. Well-equipped labour rooms would be set up in rural health centres in the designated districts to improve mother and child health services.
“The WHO will also train 15 lady health visitors (LHVs). All labour rooms will have at least three trained midwives, providing 24-hour mother and child health care,” said Dr Mohammad Saeed Akbar Khan of the WHO.
Meanwhile, the federal government will launch a five-year basic development needs programme in all the provinces, besides the Federally Administered Tribal Areas. It has allocated Rs1.7 billion, of which Rs75million would be spent in the Fata, said the officials.
An umbrella PC-1 is being processed by the Ecnec in Islamabad. The NWFP will receive Rs240 million from the federal government which is likely to be allocated to the five districts.
“We have already designated the Orakzai Agency for the project which would later be expanded to other tribal agencies,” said a health official. Village development committees would be set up in selected tribal areas, he added.
Besides providing financial help, the WHO would provide technical assistance to the village committees. The official said a similar strategy would be adopted in selected areas while computer centres would be set up to build the capacity of women, he said.
He said the project would mainly focus on development of social sectors, like education, health and skill development. To create an atmosphere conducive for development, basic primary education would be provided and embroidery centres would be set up in these districts.