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QUETTA, Apr 10 (APP):Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti on Thursday emphasized that no compromise will be made in ensuring the provision of quality healthcare services to the people of Balochistan. He stressed for the provision of access of the citizens to best medical care and said misuse of public funds will not be tolerated.
Presiding over a review meeting of the Balochistan Health Department, the Chief Minister was briefed on the ongoing developmental projects and the challenges faced by the healthcare sector.
Officials informed the meeting about recent progress, including the recruitment of 1,600 doctors, 1,600 paramedics, 60 faculty members, assistant professors, and senior registrars. An additional 800 doctors would be hired soon.
The meeting also decided to introduce the Balochistan Institutional Reforms Act to improve service delivery and administration. The Chief Minister also instructed authorities to expedite work on 12 pending legislative drafts, five of which are near completion.
Secretary Health Mujeeb-ur-Rehman Panizai shared that significant efforts are underway to overcome the shortage of trained healthcare personnel in the public sector. He also reported enhanced coordination and effectiveness in the anti-polio campaign, supported by the recruitment of 8,000 individuals, resulting in a noticeable decline in polio cases.
The meeting also reviewed initiatives such as the establishment of a command and control system, facilitation centers, surveillance centers, a data center, and network operation centers for improved healthcare management.
CM Bugti directed the immediate activation of the Health Sector Reforms Unit and called for the introduction of Key Performance Indicators to assess individual performance in the health department.
Highlighting the substantial allocation of over Rs. 80 billion annually to the health department, Bugti remarked, “This amount is enough to treat every citizen of Balochistan at the country’s best private hospitals. Every rupee must be spent on improving public health.”
He labeled the misuse of public resources as unacceptable and ordered that single rupee allocated to the health sector should be spent for the betterment of the people.
The meeting was attended by Provincial Health Minister Bakht Muhammad Kakar, Chief Secretary Shakeel Qadir Khan, Principal Secretary to CM Babar Khan, Secretary Finance Imran Zarkoon, Secretary Communication Lal Jan Jaffar, Secretary Law Kaleemullah Khan, DG Health Services Dr. Ameen Khan Mandokhail, Director Balochistan Health Card Dr. Ahmad Wali Khan, and other senior officials.