KARACHI, Jan 16: In view of the frequent rail and road accidents and repeated bomb blasts, the Sindh health department has decided to establish a reserve fund to meet emergency expenditures.

A source privy to a meeting held between Sindh ministers of health and finances on Wednesday said that senior officials of the health department told Finance Minister Dewan Yousaf Farooqui that some additional funds should be given to the health department for situations emerging from emergencies and disasters.

The minister was told that in the absence of a reserve fund the health department was finding it hard to muster support from private sector hospitals, which usually handled wounded people following disasters, major accidents and blasts.

It was learnt that to pay the bills for the treatment of people wounded in major accidents and blasts up to Oct 18, 2007, the Sindh health department had forwarded a summary to the chief minister for a grant of Rs17 million.

The finance minister informed the health minister that he had already okayed the dues’ summary and funds would be released to the health department as soon as the chief minister approved it.

About special allocations for future exigencies, the minister said that before moving the competent authority for the purpose, a meeting of finance and health department officials and others would be held to formulate criteria and procedures for the allocation and utilisation of such funds, the source added.

Mr Farooqui said health and education were important sectors where improvement could be brought about with collective efforts of people belonging to both the public and private sectors.

The health minister, Fauzia Lari, said the government wanted to establish ‘urban clinics’ in every towns of the province so that the respective population could get better healthcare facilities.

Sindh Health Secretary Malik Asrar told the finance minister about the ongoing development projects in the health sector and also requested him to ensure further flow of fund for their completion.

He said the health department also needed funds to rehabilitate its basic health units across the province, which had suffered damages during violence after PPP chief Benazir Bhutto’s assassination.

Special Health Secretary Dr Abdul Majid said a trained midwife in every union council of the province would be posted.

Highlighting the importance of improved mother and child health-care facilities in the government sector, the special secretary said there was a need to set up blood banks at district and taluka levels, which also required funds.

The performance of the board of governors available at some teaching hospitals also came under discussion during the meeting and it was observed that some changes should be made in the terms of reference of BoGs.

BoGs, which have been established from time to time during the last three years under a relevant ordinance promulgated by the Sindh governor in 2006, are headed by a chairman who is paid Rs100,000 per month as salary besides other perks.The meeting conceded that instead of hiring the services of a chairman, there was a need to bring in people from within the community and civil society as managers, who would love to monitor the affairs of government hospitals, their staff and medical superintendents.