ISLAMABAD, Nov 20 (APP): Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani Friday said the government is working on fast track basis to ensure the provision of basic healthcare facility to people at their doorstep and would provide all necessary resources for this purpose.He said this while chairing a meeting here at the PM House on the Peoples Primary Healthcare Initiative (PPHI), a success story of public-private partnership and substantiating the Prime Minister’s Initiative to provide primary healthcare to people in every Union Council.

The Prime Minister was also given a detailed presentation on the progress of the PPHI in each province as well as Gilgit Baltistan and FATA.

The meeting was informed that PPHI project, over a period of 10 years, has successfully evolved into a new model of Healthcare Management through which basic issues regarding availability of doctors, procurement and distribution of medicines have been resolved.

A management team of dedicated personnel has been established and ownership has been created at both provincial and district levels, the meeting was briefed.

While apprising the meeting, Jahangir Tarin, MNA and Chairman Steering Committee of PPHI, laid out the future roadmap of PPHI under which a chain of Mother/Childcare Centres in every province will be established having 24-hour Lady Doctors/LHVs and equipped with Ultrasound, X-Rays, Pathology Lab and Ambulance facility.

He further informed that PPHI has also planned to use RHCs as first referral facility to BHUs, creating labour rooms in every BHU and setting up Pathology labs in every BHU cluster.

Jahangir Tareen informed the Prime Minister about the progress since last meeting and said that PPHI districts have grown from 71 to 80, including 23 in Sindh, 30 in Balochistan, 31 in NWFP, 36 in Punjab and six in Gilgit-Baltistan. The number of health facilities with PPHI have grown from 2591 to 3093 while the number of BHUs have increased to 2390.

The Prime Minister was informed about the current needs of PPHI both in terms of budget as well as manpower. Tareen thanked the Prime Minister for taking ownership of PPHI.

The Prime Minister appreciated that PPHI is ensuring sustainability of the initiative through public private partnership by community participation and that support groups of the beneficiary communities have been organized around all the BHUs.

The meeting was informed that the AJK government had been preoccupied with the post-earthquake reconstruction work and following the approval of 2009-10 budget, it now has funds to extend PPHI operations in their area.

The Prime Minister was also given progress report on the PPHI operation in model districts approved by him in May 2008. These included Multan, Larkana, Nowshera, Khyber Agency, Pishin and Diamer. Funds have also been allocated for the project in 2009-10 budget. All model districts shall be operational by December 31, 2009.

In order to make the functioning of the steering committee more effective, the Prime Minister reconstituted the committee to take all stakeholders on board. It would now have one additional member from each province and the Special Assistant to PM on Social Sector.

The meeting approved terms of reference of the steering committee under which the committee shall provide strategic direction to the PPHI operations, coordinate / remove difficulties and arrange support for the PPHI operations, connect the PPHI with relevant healthcare related organizations of high repute, constitute such sub-committees as it deems appropriate for specified assignments in relation to tasks and co-opt such additional members as it deems appropriate for achieving the foregoing objects.

In its earlier meeting in May 2008, the Prime Minister had approved that PPHI may be extended to cover the entire country, selecting one district as a model in each province and the provision of special compensatory packages to doctors and paramedics serving in remote and inaccessible areas.

Secretary Health informed the meeting that the Ministry of Health is working on the decision of integrated primary healthcare in which BHUs will have a central role. The Ministry is also working on formulating an essential health package at the primary level.

The meeting was attended by Minister for Finance, Shaukat Tarin; Chief Secretaries Sindh, Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan and AJK; Secretaries Finance, Cabinet, Population Welfare, Health and Secretary Health NWFP.