Peshawar - Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Mahmood Khan, taking notice of the rising infant mortality rate in the newly-established district Upper Chitral, on Tuesday directed the high ups of the Health Department for immediate steps to address the issue of deficiency of healthcare practitioners including lady doctors and skilled Lady Health Visitors (LHVs) in the health service delivery outlets of the district.   

Presiding over a meeting here to review progress on provision of basic health and education facilities in the backward areas of Malakand division, the Chief Minister also directed to take necessary steps on priority basis for the upgradation of Tehsil Headquarters Hospital Booni in Upper Chitral to District Headquarters Hospital having basic facilities and to ensure posting of specialist doctors therein.   

Mahmood Khan made it clear that specialist doctors should be posted to the hospital in the best public interest under the government posting, transfer policy and no political pressure be entertained in this regard so that provision of basic healthcare facilities could be ensured to the people of the district at their door steps. 

Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Amjad Ali Khan, Secretary Health Imtiaz Hussain Shah, Secretary Elementary and Secondary Education, Yahya Akhonzada, Secretary Higher Education Muhammad Dawood, Special Secretary to the Chief Minister Muhammad Khaliq and other concerned officials of the finance and planning departments attended the meeting. 

KP CM directs to address issue of deficiency of healthcare practitioners in health service delivery outlets of Chitral

The Chief Minister directed the authorities of the Health Department to take necessary steps to address shortage of doctors and other medical staff in the healthcare centres of Lower Chitral and Upper Dir and to submit a report on progress in this regard.  

Similarly, the chair directed the high ups of Higher Education Department to complete the remaining work on the under construction building of Government Girls Degree College Sakha Kot and to ensure commencement of classes in the college from the coming academic session.  

He also directed the Higher Education Department to complete feasibility study for the establishment of a commerce college in government building available in Shangla district as soon as possible so that, if the scheme was feasible, classes could be started from the next academic year.  

The meeting directed the concerned authorities to shift the Polytechnic College Batkhela running in a rented building to a permanent building, identify suitable land for setting up Girls Degree College at Khwazakhela and to complete feasibility study within three months for the establishment of Swat University Campus in Dargai. 

Mahmood Khan termed the provision of basic health and education facilities to the people of backward and remote areas at their door steps as top priority of his government and said the government was taking result-oriented steps under a well devised strategy in this regard.  

He directed the concerned authorities to ensure physical progress as per given timelines on all the scheme of running the basic health centres 24/7 and upgradation of health services delivery centres on need basis in the backward areas of the province.