QUETTA  -  Caretaker Provincial Minister for Health, Dr Amir Muhammad Khan Jogezai said that the caretaker Balo­chistan Government was committed to taking speedy measures to revamp the provincial health sector to pro­vide the best healthcare facilities to the masses. The government, he said had initiated a recruitment plan to appoint doctors on ad-hoc basis to tackle the challenges and overcome the shortage of doctors in the hospi­tals of far-flung areas. In a statement issued here on Saturday, the minis­ter said that the government has so far appointed as many 700 medical officers, lady medical officers, teach­ing cadre doctors and staff nurses on an ad-hoc basis at district level. Dr Amir Muhammad said that the initiative aimed to address the short­age of doctors and medical staff in hospitals and health centers in re­mote areas of the province. The Balo­chistan government has introduced a health card scheme for its citizens to ensure free health facilities to two million families across the province in more than 1,200 hospitals in the country, he added. He said that the Balochistan government was all set to revamp the teaching hospitals af­filiated with the four medical colleges of the province on modern lines by providing the equipments to fulfill the needs of the time. The minister said that he had also taken notice of the negligence of doctors and medi­cal staff posted in various public sec­tor hospitals over not performing duties. The Health Department has directed to take strict action against the absentees to ensure the presence of doctors and medical staff at their deployment place. The minister said that the series of innovative steps of the government for the safety of patients, the provision of medicines and round the clock availability of doctors and paramedical staff would be continued. He said that a routine immunisation drive for vaccination against 12 childhood vaccine-pre­ventable diseases was in full swing in Balochistan and the Federal Min­ister for National Health was also in touch with them. The minister said that he was well aware of the situa­tion in the hospitals of Balochistan, especially in Quetta and would soon take steps to resolve all problems, including the shortage of medicines and increase in prices. The task of caretaker government is to conduct fair and transparent elections, but it will also work for the improvement of the health sector in a limited pe­riod to provide relief to the public, he expressed.