LARKANA: Sindh Health Minister Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho has announced taking back the administrative control of five health facilities, including two taluka headquarters hospitals in Larkana district, from the Integrated Health Services (IHS).

While visiting various health facilities which had been outsourced to the IHS some five years ago under a public-private partnership basis, she expressed dissatisfaction over the private entity’s performance and said that these health facilities would be restored to the Peoples Primary Healthcare Initiative (PPHI).

She also presiding over a meeting of senior health officials at the commissioner’s house on Saturday.

Later, speaking to the meda, Dr Pechho said that the taluka hospitals of Dokri and Ratodero; Naudero Hospital; and rural health centres (RHCs) of Badah and Garhi Khuda Bakhsh Bhutto presently being run under the district health office would be handed over to PPHI. She said she had just visited the Ratodero Taluka Headquarter Hospital and the attached HIV centre.

She dispelled the impression about a shortage of medicines in Sindh’s government hospitals, and argued that actually the number of patients visiting health facilities had swelled and ultimately demand had increased. “To meet this challenge, we are making efforts to match supplies on an urgent basis,” she said.

Commenting on the Covid-19 situation in the province, she said the cases were declining. She said she had resumed regular visits to health facilities to apprise herself of the situation now when restrictions relating to pandemic had been eased.

During her visit to Chandka Medical College Hospital’s children’s hospital, Shaikh Zayed Hospital for Women and the attached HIV centre, she asked for redoubling efforts to serve patients.

Regarding anti-polio campaigns, the minister said that with special assistance extended by the WHO and Unicef, the health department had succeeded in containing polio cases. She emphasised the need for inoculating children against measles and adults against Covid-19 pandemic. She pointed out that the department had chalked out a plan to cover children in the vaccination bracket for which lady health workers had been hired. She called for establishing a “chain of coordination” between health workers and parents of targeted children. The objective was ensuring a sound feedback mechanism available with us regarding vaccination. She said she had also asked the health officials at the meeting to put in more efforts in undertaking vaccination at public and private schools.

Dr Pechuho said she had directed the health officials to convene a meeting of the divisional task force regarding the Covid-19 vaccination drive to ensure coverage of the remaining population. The officials had also been told the update HIV/AIDS record with the aim of reaching all patients and providing them treatment, she said.

The meeting at commissioner’s house was attended by the country director of the UNAIDS Pakistan and Afghanistan, Unicef representative, director general health,Sindh, and district health officers of Larkana division. She was briefed about the overall health situation in the division. She asked the DHOs to expedite the Covid-19 vaccination process and ensure implemention of the treatment protocols of the WHO and Unicef.

CMCH medical superintendent Dr Abdul Hameed Soomro, Prof Dr Saifullah Jamro, Prof Dr Arbab Junejo and others briefed the minister about the working and facilities at the hospital.

Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Medical University (SMBBMU) vice chancellor Prof Dr Aneela Attaur Rehman also attended the meeting.

Published in Dawn, October 10th, 2021