PESHAWAR: Most of the basic health units in the province, especially in Kohistan, Torghar and southern districts, lack essential medicines and suffer from absenteeism of staff, according to a report of health department.

The report says that basic health units in Tank, Dera Ismail Khan, Kohistan and Torghar etc lack 80 per cent essential drugs while their staff including doctors and paramedics remain absent from duty.

About 70 of the posts, sanctioned for the health facilities, are vacant, it says.

A local organisation, Integrated Health Services, manages the health facilities in Kohistan and Torghar where the report says that drugs are short in supply and staff’s presence is not up to the desired level.

Report says health facilities face absenteeism of staff

The government established Independent Monitoring Units by spending Rs478 million in February and appointed 175 members, including 25 females, who were tasked to evaluate the performance of more than 1,500 health facilities in all 26 districts of the province and furnish information to government with a view to take measures and make patients’ care effective.

The monitors also listen to people’s complaints on the spot in the hospitals.

The three-year project is aimed at checking availability of drugs and doctors; cleanliness situation and attitude of the health providers at the first level healthcare facilities under the supervision of divisional managers.

The monitors transmit the reports about health units on smart phones and describe weaknesses in the respective facilities. The report is displayed on a dashboard and become visible to the health minister and his top officials.

The monitoring system has brought some improvement in presence of health workers at their duty places.

“In April, we found that 24 per cent doctors, 16 per cent lady health workers and 24 per cent medical technicians remained absent from duty throughout the province,” said Dr Akhtar Said, head of the Project Management Unit. He said that absenteeism dropped by six per cent because of the action taken by the officials concerned.

Dr Akhtar said that initially it was an assumption that health department employees would resist their visits and checking their record but their cooperation in making consolidated reports was praiseworthy. “They are very supportive. Through online system, we receive data from the field and prepare reports,” he added.

Dr Akhtar said that 47 per cent health facilities didn’t have drinking water and 20 per cent of the residential quarters, built for staff, were occupied by other people.

“The Peshawar-based PMU supervises the mobility and geographical location of the monitors on computers which leaves no chance for the workers to remain absent or send wrong reports,” he said.

In more than 550 basic health units, managed by the People’s Primary Healthcare Initiative in 17 districts, 80 per cent posts are filled. The patients also receive medicines and standard services as well as vaccination.

The report says that monitors found 80 per cent of the posts of doctors and health technicians vacant in southern districts and quality of service given to the people wasn’t satisfactory.

The basic health facilities, run by Merlin UK, were found satisfactory in Buner, one of the two districts, it manages. However, in Lower Dir, its performance wasn’t that good. The health units, managed by Save the Children, also face absenteeism of staff.

Overall, the report says, 31 per cent basic health facilities lack toilets. The problems of electricity and disputes over dues etc with Wapda and illegal occupation of the buildings are also some of the issues that hamper patients’ care.

Dr Akhtar said that they trained the monitors to scale up their knowledge about quality healthcare at first and second level facilities.

A recent meeting, held with Health Minister Shahram Tarakai in the chair, also decided to strengthen the monitoring system and improve chain of management to give better care to the patients.

Dr Akhtar said that a feedback system was in place through which they came to know about the status of any facility.

“We remain connected with the respective district health officers and medical superintendents and inform them about the problems,” he said.

Published in Dawn, July 31st, 2015

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