Peshawar: In a bid to enhance transparency and improve efficiency, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Health Department to hold its monthly District Health Officers (DHO) Conference today under the chairmanship of Advisor to the Chief Minister for Health, Ihtesham Ali. The conference to be attended by Secretary Health Mr. Adeel Shah, Director General Health Dr. Muhammad Saleem, Additional Directors General (ADGs), Regional Directors General (RDGs), all DHOs, and Program Directors.
The primary objective of the conference is to conduct a comprehensive review of the performance of all DHOs across the province. In his statement , Advisor to the CM for Health Ihtesham Ali emphasized the department’s commitment to accountability and results-driven governance. He stated:
“Until now, past performance has been noted, but moving forward, any officer demonstrating poor performance will face strict disciplinary action.”
During the conference, the performance of DHOs to be evaluated based on key metrics, including vaccination coverage, medicine supply, outpatient department (OPD) services, functionality of medical equipment, staff performance, and surprise visits conducted in their respective districts.
Highlighting the need for reform, Ihtesham Ali remarked:
“Today, it will become clear who is truly committed to their responsibilities and who is holding their position due to political influence. Poor performance will no longer be tolerated.”
The advisor further stressed that without significant improvements in primary healthcare, the overall health system cannot be effectively transformed. He urged all officers to dedicate themselves to improving their performance, failing which decisive action would be taken against them.
This conference will mark a crucial step toward the department’s ongoing reform initiatives aimed at delivering better healthcare services to the public. Ihtesham Ali reiterated the government’s resolve to ensure transparency and performance-based accountability in the health sector, ensuring that inefficiency is rooted out and the best possible healthcare facilities are provided to the citizens.
