Four new health directorates set up in KP

PESHAWAR: Four regional health  directorates have been set up in KP to ensure prompt healthcare service delivery at primary and secondary levels.

The department has appointed four regional directors (RDs) –  Dr Shahid Younas for central region, Dr Shaukat Ali for Malakand, Dr Faisal Khanzada for Abbottabad and Dr Ubaidur Rehman for south region. They will start their assignments after issuance of notification regarding their job description.

Last month, the department redesignated four posts of additional director general of BPS-20 at the office of Director General Health Services (DGHS), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as regional directors being part of the programme to decentralise powers.

Sources said so far all the administrative matters of the districts were handled by DGHS owing to which the activities continued to suffer in the face of delays. 

health department notified terms of reference of RDs. They have been entrusted with responsibilities for all the administrative affairs of the primary and secondary healthcare facilities in their respective regions.

Their powers include transfer, posting and leave matters of the employees from BPS-1 to BPS-16 within the region, making performance-based recommendations to health department regarding posting/transfer of district health officers (DHOs) and medical superintendents, acting as drawing and disbursement officer (DDOs) for both salary and non-salary components of the expenses of their offices.

Additionally, the regional health directorates have also been empowered to propose posting of employee in BPS-17 and above to DGHS for improvement of healthcare services, according to the notification.

The newly-appointed RDs will also act as the reporting officer for the performance evaluation reports of the medical superintendents and DHOs.–Dawn