PESHAWAR: The Fifth DHOs (District Health Officers) Conference was held today in Peshawar, chaired by Ihtisham Ali, Advisor to the Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Health. The conference was attended by Health Secretary Shahidullah, DG Health Dr. Muhammad Saleem, DG Drugs Dr. Muhammad Abbas, Director IMU Dr. Ejaz, ADGs, Director EPI, Project Directors of Vertical Programs, and all DHOs from across the province. The conference commenced with the Director IMU briefing the participants on the progress made regarding the tasks assigned in the previous DHOs conference. Following this, the Advisor on Health received a detailed briefing on the performance of all DHOs. Ihtisham Ali directed the DHOs to regularly visit hospitals under their administration, improve OPD (Outpatient Department) performance, and focus on the uninterrupted supply of medicines. Health Secretary Shahidullah urged the DHOs to pay attention to the ongoing hiring process and to personally manage their office affairs instead of leaving them to clerical staff. He also emphasized ensuring merit in all appointments. During the conference, the Advisor on Health was comprehensively briefed on the polio situation in the province, medicine supply, HRMIS (Human Resource Management Information System), MCH (Maternal and Child Health), LHW (Lady Health Worker) and LHV (Lady Health Visitor) performance, as well as doctors’ attendance. The Advisor on Health was informed that PKR 150 million is available in the Primary Healthcare Committees’ fund, which health centers are utilizing according to their needs. DLP Report
The Advisor on Health directed that salaries of absent doctors and other staff be immediately withheld. He was also informed that medicines worth over PKR 1 billion are still pending with vendors who have not supplied them despite repeated reminders. Upon this, the Advisor on Health issued strict directives that any vendor who fails to complete the supply before the next conference will be immediately blacklisted. He was also apprised that most suppliers are unable to provide medicines due to pending payments.
Ihtisham Ali instructed the DHOs to ensure that medicines worth PKR 942 million, which have been cleared by the Drug Testing Laboratory, are promptly delivered to health centers and made accessible to the public. The Advisor on Health was informed that in May, over a thousand medicine samples were sent to the Drugs Laboratory, out of which only 261 were verified by the end of the month, while verification of over seven hundred samples is still pending.
At the conclusion of the conference, the DHOs of Malakand and Charsadda districts were honored with commendation certificates for their outstanding performance.
