Shortage of doctors affects health services in Mansehra

MANSEHRA: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has left the people of Mansehra at the mercy of private clinics and doctors as half of the sanctioned posts of doctors and specialists are lying vacant in the district for the last many years.

“Though we are trying to provide better health services to people, the district health department is not authorised to fill the vacant posts or appoint doctors,” said Dr Naeem Awan, the acting district health officer, Mansehra, when contracted on Saturday.

Sehat ka Insaf: Third round of immunisation concludes

MARDAN / CHARSADDA / SWABI: The third round of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government’s Sehat ka Insaf immunisation drive was conducted in three districts of the province on Saturday. A ban was imposed in all three districts on motorcycle riding.

Charsadda: Minister for Health Shahram Khan Tarakai inaugurated the drive at District Headquarters Hospital flanked by officials of the health department and the district administration.

Addressing the gathering, Tarakai said the drive aimed to immunise a total of 253,000 children across the district. “Around 2,000 police officials have been deputed to provide security to 1,378 teams will immunise children against nine diseases,” said Tarakai. The minister urged residents to cooperate with the teams during the drive.

Hospitals, BHUs: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister orders filling of vacant posts of doctors

KP Chief Minister Pervez Khattak has directed the health authorities for filling vacant posts lying in government hospitals and basic health units (BHUs) and ordered to provide basic health facilities to the people at their door steps. He issued these directives while talking to a 35-member delegation from Mardan district who called on him under the leadership of MPA Tufail Anjum at the CM Secretariat here on Thursday. 

The delegation briefed the chief minister of their problems and difficulties being faced by the people of Katlang and other far-flung areas in regarding to health, education, law and order and irrigation. The chief minister issued directives for resolution of people's problems.

Pakistan reports 4 new polio cases

PESHAWAR: Health authorities in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Province announced three new polio cases, Dawn reported October 28, while Karachi also reported one.

The FATA and KP cases occurred in the Swabi District, Frontier Region Bannu and Khyber Agency, according to authorities.

Medics in Karachi also reported a polio case, which struck a Pashtun family.

The latest reports bring the total number of Pakistani polio cases to 53 in 2013, the National Institute of Health (NIH) Islamabad said.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa far-flung areas: body set up to hold awareness drive against breast cancer

The government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Monday constituted a special committee with Professor Dr Farida Aziz as convenor to carry out awareness campaign against breast cancer in far-flung areas of the province. This was announced by Special Assistant to KP Chief Minister for social welfare, special education and women development, Professor Dr Mehr Taj Roghani while addressing a symposium organised in connections with awareness campaign against breast cancer at Enver, Abbottabad on Monday. 

The purpose of the constitution of the specialised panel is to carrying out mass awareness campaign against the deadly disease and initiating of practical war against it. The symposium was attended by doctors of Ayub Medical Complex (AMC) and Combined Military Hospital (CMA) and representatives of civil society.

More polio cases surface in KP, Fata

PESHAWAR: The National Institute of Health Islamabad has confirmed four new polio cases, including two from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas and one from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, according to officials.

They said that the fourth victim of polio belonged to a Pakhtun family, currently living in Karachi.

Officials said that Fata had recorded 38 polio cases, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had seven, Sindh had five and Punjab had recorded three out of the total cases reported in 2013 so far.

POSTINGS/TRANSFERS

The Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on the recommendations of the Provincial Selection Board has promoted Dr. Nisar Ahmad and Dr. Khalid Farooq, Principal Dental Surgeons (BS-19) of Health Department to Chief Dental Surgeon (BS-20) on regular basis with immediate effect. The officers on promotion shall remain on probation for a period of one year. Consequent upon the above, the following postings/transfers are ordered: Dr. Nisar Ahmad BS-20, BBS Teaching Hospital Abbottbad has been transferred and posted at Lady Reading Hospital Peshawar against the vacant post of BS-20 in general cadre, Dr. Khalid Farooq BS-20, King Abdullah Teaching Hospital Mansehra has been transferred and posted at Khyber College of Dentistry Peshawar against the vacant post of BS-20 in general cadre.

Nature's miracle: Pakistan woman delivers five healthy babies

Peshawar: Surprising the people with nature's yet another miracle, a supermom from northwestern Pakistan has given birth to five healthy quintuplets girls and boys in a Peshawar hospital, according to the hospital officials. The newborn include three girls and two boys. The woman, who gave birth to quintuplets, hails from Malakand, now a district under the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Giving birth to quintuplets can be dangerous and historically it has been rare that all five children survived.

Ceremony in Peshawar

PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Engineer Shaukatullah has said that we have taken the task to protect every child of Fata becoming victim of polio virus.

He said that the task of protecting every child from polio, a challenge for youth, Ulema and tribal elders along in our ongoing efforts to wipe out every possibility of re-occurrence of new polio case. Emergence of new polio cases in Bara Tehsil of Khyber Agency, FR Bannu and North Wazirsitan bringing the total number to 37 in entire Fata is though a matter of grave concern yet we are confident to overcome it with more active and determined support of our polio teams, law enforcement agencies, political administration, parliamentarians, and tribal elders within shortest possible time, he said.

Govt takes task of protecting every child from Polio:Governor

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor, Engineer Shaukatullah has said that we have taken the task to protect every child of FATA becoming victim of Polio virus on Thursday. He said that the task of protecting every child from polio , a challenge for youth, Ulema and tribal elders along in our ongoing efforts to wipe out every possibility of re-occurrence of new polio case. Emergence of new polio cases in Bara Tehsil of Khyber Agency, F.R. Bannu and North Wazirsitan bringing the total number to 37 in entire FATA is though a matter of grave concern yet we are confident to overcome it with more active and determined support of our polio teams, law enforcement agencies, political administration, parliamentarians, and tribal elders within shortest possible time, he said.

Official takes notice of poor conditions at children hospital

PESHAWAR: Taking note of the reports about dilapidated condition of the Safwat Ghayur Children Hospital in Haji Camp area, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief secretary has sought report from the hospital administration.Through a letter, Chief Secretary Arbab Shehzad sought report on the condition of the lone public sector children hospital in the provincial metropolis, which according to the residents, has become a ‘ghost hospital’ due to the negligence of the administration. The residents of Gulshan Colony and Faisal Colony staged sit-in in front of the provincial health minister’s office the other day and protested against the alleged commission mafia operating in the hospital. They said besides mismanagement and dilapidated condition, the hospital lacks medicines.They appealed Chief Minister Pervez Khattak and Health Minister Shaukat Ali Yousafzai to personally look into the matter.

36 ghost BHUs identified in Mansehra

BISHAM: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Health Shaukat Ali Yousafzai on Wednesday said that 36 ghost Basic Health Units (BHUs) had been identified in Mansehra district.“Billions of rupees had been released to these ghost BHUs for over eight years,” the minister told reporters here.He said an inquiry had been initiated and the culprits would get punished. The minister also announced upgrading the Civil Dispensary in Shang. The Civil Dispensary is being jointly run by the Pakistan Red Crescent Society (PRCS) and German Red Cross.During a visit to the dispensary, the provincial minister announced upgrading the health facility to the BHU. He lauded the German Red Cross and PRCS for providing health services to the needy people in backward areas of the province.

Battle back in KPK

PESHAWAR: A three-day special anti-polio campaign Wednesday kicked off in six districts of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. About 1.5 million children would be vaccinated.

Talking to media persons here, Dr Jan Baz Afridi, Deputy Director EPI Programme KPK said that the campaign has been started in Bannu, DI Khan, Kohat, Lakki Marwat, Peshawar and Tank districts and will continue till Friday. He said 4343 teams, including 404 fixed, 3678 mobile and 261 transits teams have been formed to administer door-to-door anti-polio vaccine to children. The teams would be assisted by volunteers, lady health workers and officials of national building departments.

The Deputy Commissioners have been asked to monitor the campaigns in their respective districts. He said 1.5 million children would be vaccinated in these districts.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa launching anti-polio campaign today

The Khyber Pakthunkhwa government has decided to launch special immunisation campaign in six districts to vaccinate 1.5 million children under five years of age to make the country polio free. All the arrangements have been completed to launch the campaign from Wednesday (today).

The campaign would be launched in Bannu, D I Khan, Kohat, Peshawar, Lakki Marwat and Tank districts. As many as 4343 teams including 404 fixed, 3678 mobile and 261 transits have been formed for this campaign. The teams would be assisted by volunteers, lady health workers and officials of public sector departments and Deputy Commissioners have been asked to monitor the campaigns in their respective districts.

Foolproof security would be given to the field staff by police and other security agencies. In 2012, a total of 58 cases had been reported from the country while only 46 cases reported this year. The officials said the two cases were reported from Punjab, seven from KP, three from Sindh and 34 from FATA this year.

CCHF deaths in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Province, September 2013

Four butchers in Haripur have died after being infected with Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fevervirus (CCHF) in September 2013. The butchers lost their lives after they slaughtered and handled the meat of an infected sheep that was bought from a local animal market, although it is believed that the sheep had come from Afghanistan. An immediate ban on the slaughtering of animals was imposed for 7 days to help prevent further infection and to raise awareness about CCHF in the local area.

Another 37 suffering from dengue in Shangla

BISHAM: Another 37 persons were tested positive for dengue viral infection in Bisham tehsil here on Monday, official sources said.The sources said 97 more persons were tested at the Tehsil Headquarters Hospital where 37 persons tested positive. They said that 979 cases have been confirmed in Bisham. The residents said the district administration had brought in doctors from other districts as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Health Shaukat Yousafzai was expected to visit the hospital. They said the staff members, who remained absent from duty for long, had resumed the duty to avoid the wrath of the minister.