PESHAWAR - To review the performance of the Health Department based on the agenda items from last week’s meeting, the Adviser to the Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for Health, Ihtisham Ali, chaired a meeting on Monday.
Attendees at the meeting included relevant officers responsible for various matters. The primary focus was the retrieval of government vehicles being used by retired, transferred, and unauthorised individuals within the Health Department. Special Secretary Health, Habibullah, informed the Health Adviser that, so far, only 200 vehicles have been entered into the Human Resource Management Information System (HRMIS).
Expressing dissatisfaction, Ihtisham Ali directed that the details of every departmental vehicle, whether functional or not, must be provided within three days.
Special Secretary Habibullah mentioned that letters have already been sent to all staff and the Excise Department, instructing them to prevent any vehicle not registered in HRMIS from being on the road. Additionally, the maintenance and fuel budgets for vehicles in unauthorized possession have been frozen.
The Health Adviser issued strict instructions that any District Health Officer (DHO), Medical Superintendent (MS), or other officers failing to provide vehicle records should be removed from their positions immediately. He also demanded details of vehicles provided by various projects and emphasised that government vehicles must be retrieved from unauthorised individuals.`
Regarding digitization, the Health Adviser expressed dissatisfaction with the current progress and ordered that efforts to digitize the Directorate General Health Service begin immediately. He emphasised that the posting and transfer processes must also be digitized, despite the temporary ban on transfers. He called for the system to be fully operational so that online applications could begin immediately. The online leave management system must also be activated starting today.
In addition, Ihtisham Ali ordered that all officers from other departments currently working in the Health Department should be relieved immediately. Dual charges, additional charges, and attachments should be ended effective today. No individual should hold more than one position. He stressed that the regional directorates have now been activated, and all necessary staff and resources should be provided to ensure these offices function efficiently. This will help decentralize powers and address the province’s health-related issues more effectively.
The Health Adviser also instructed the relevant officials to begin work on developing a comprehensive plan for all donors, implementation partners, and technical assistants. The report on this work is to be presented at next week’s meeting.
All Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) and agreements with donors will now be handled by the Chief of the Health Sector Reform Unit (HSRU). He emphasized that all donors and implementation partners must align with the health department’s agenda and requirements, rather than the department working to meet their priorities. Any donor failing to meet these criteria will not be permitted to work in the health sector.