PESHAWAR, Jan 29: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Health Department will soon give the rural health centres and basic health units financial and administrative autonomy to improve the health delivery system in the province.

They said that these measures were aimed at strengthening primary and secondary health care centres and reducing burden on the city hospitals. This would improve the patients' care by fully utilising the available health facilities and putting in place a proper referral system.

"In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, there are over 1,607 healthcare units, including 848 basic health units, 415 dispensaries, 123 TB and leprosy centres, eight teaching hospitals, 94 mother and child centres, 87 rural health centres and 22 district headquarters hospitals, but at present the treatment provided to the patients was not up to standard," the officials said.

They said that the government allocated Rs10 billion every year to the health sector, which included about Rs4 billion for salaries of 47,000 employees and Rs6 billion for development schemes and patients' care.

However, people are not satisfied with the treatment provided at the government hospitals.

The officials said that half of the 22 district headquarters hospitals had not been able to cope with seriously ill patients due to lack of doctors, equipment and medicines. They said that majority of the health facilities in rural areas lacked facilities and sufficient staff, which had been forcing patients to go to private hospitals.

The conditions at the dispensaries, BHUs and RHCs were pathetic as there was virtually no management of patients, they said, adding that the health department was trying to tackle all these issues under the new policy. They said that in this regard the local committees would be formed for monitoring the performance of their respective health outlets. These bodies would also listen to the public complaints against any staffer of a facility and reports would be sent to the government for inquiry and action.

"This will encourage the people to visit the health facilities when they are assured that their complaints will be heard," they said.

Besides, the devolution of financial and administrative powers to local hospital heads would enable them to take quick decisions in the best interest of the patients.

Presently, a BHU is required to seek permission from the district government for repair of a simple machine that caused problems to the patients.

"We have also planned to integrate the services at the district level and avoid duplicity of functions," the officials said.