Daily Times

PESHAWAR: The Annual Developmental Plan (ADP) of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa includes 93 developmental projects for the health sector for financial year 2016-17 with an allocation of Rs.10.54 billion.

These include 77 ongoing projects and 16 new schemes. According to the budget documents, the new projects include extension of Health Insurance Scheme to all the districts, establishment of Regional Safe Blood Transfusion centers at Abbottabad, DI Khan and Swat, establishment of Khyber Institute of Neuro Sciences and Clinical Research Mardan, establishment of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Medical College Peshawar.

Similarly, the land acquisition and building construction for Gajuu Khan Medical College Swabi, purchase of equipment for Siadu Medical College Swat, provision of free treatment facilities to 3,500 registered patients of cancer, standardisation of all the district headquarters (DHQ) and tehsil headquarters hospitals (THQ) of the province were also in the pipeline. The reconstruction of Liaqat Memorial Hospital Kohat, purchase of equipment for Peshawar Institute of Cardiology and improvement of emergency services in DHQ and THQ hospitals of the province are also under consideration. Lastly, the provision of free treatment facilities to the patients of TB and hepatitis, measures to prevent dengue and malaria, launching of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Immunisation Programme and five years integrated programme to control polio and other related diseases, improvement of primary and maternity heath care services, and measures to control HIV and hepatitis are also important component of the new ADP.

The projects that are to be completed during the new financial year include the construction of operation theatres and wards in Paraplegic Centre Peshawar, construction of building for Gomal Medical College DI Khan, construction of lecture theatres and female mortuary in Khyber Medical College Peshawar, establishment of Peshawar Institute of Cardiology Phase II, improvement and standardisation of DHQ hospital Nowshehra, establishment of Blood Transfusion centres in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, establishment of casualty block in Khyber Teaching Hospital Peshawar, up-gradation of Siadu Group of Hospitals, strengthening of routine immunisation in the province, establishment of Post Graduate Medical Institute at Hayatabad Medical Complex Peshawar. Similarly, more than 15,000 new vacancies have been proposed to be created for health sector in the new budget on human resource side. These proposed vacancies include more than 1,300 vacancies of Lady Health Workers (LHW) to regularise the entire LHW Programme in the province, more than 1000 vacancies of vaccinators to be posted at union council level.