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Express Tribune
19-04-2025
- Health
- Express Tribune
Health authority outsources seven BHUs
The process of outsourcing Basic Health Units (BHUs) in Rawalpindi district and converting them into Maryam Nawaz Clinics is underway. So far, seven BHUs have been outsourced and an additional 20 are expected to be outsourced soon. These clinics will provide citizens with free, quality healthcare services, with all expenses to be claimed from the Government of Punjab. A total of 27 BHUs are being turned into Maryam Nawaz Clinics. Once the renovation work on other BHU buildings is completed, they will also be included in the outsourcing process. Each Maryam Nawaz Clinic will be responsible for providing free laboratory tests, doctor consultations, and medicines to all incoming patients. According to officials, the primary reason for converting BHUs into Maryam Nawaz Clinics is the longstanding inefficiencies in the public health system. These include irregular attendance by doctors, reluctance to serve in remote areas, lack of medicine availability, and the absence of basic laboratory testing facilities. Despite previous attempts to address these issues, tangible results could not be achieved, they said. Officials reported that since the outsourcing began, there has been a noticeable improvement in the delivery of free medical services. According to District Health Authority Chief Executive Dr Asif Arbab Niazi, all BHUs in Rawalpindi will gradually be outsourced and converted into Maryam Nawaz Clinics. He emphasised that the initiative will especially benefit rural populations by providing them with quality healthcare free of cost. A comprehensive plan has been prepared to ensure consistent and effective health services through this model, he said.
Express Tribune
12-03-2025
- Health
- Express Tribune
Punjab mulls outsourcing more health centres
Authorities have decided to outsource the Basic Health Units (BHUs) and Rural Health Centres (RHCs) in all 37 districts of Punjab, including the Rawalpindi district, under the status of Maryam Nawaz Health Clinics (MNHC), retain current regular staff of these centres at other government hospitals, regularise non-regular staff, and terminate the employment of staff working on specific health projects once the projects are completed. A meeting of the Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of all District Health Authorities (DHAs) across the province, chaired by the Secretary of Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department Punjab, decided that the outsourcing process for BHUs and RHCs under each DHA would continue. These centres will be outsourced based on upgraded healthcare facilities and designated as MNHCs. The centres that are being revamped will have their regular staff retained, and they will be deployed at other government hospitals upon the recruitment of new staff. The process of regularising the employment of non-regular staff will continue. Moreover, the employment of those hired for specific health projects will be terminated upon the completion of the respective projects. Dr Asif Arbab Niazi, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Rawalpindi DHA, says that in the first phase, seven BHUs and RHCs in the Rawalpindi district have already been outsourced and designated as MNHCs, while in the second phase, 20 more BHUs will be outsourced and upgraded to the status of MNHCs. Before outsourcing, the building of each BHU and RHC will undergo revamping. After the first and second phases, 27 more centres will be converted into MNHCs, he added. In the third phase, the remaining 71 health centres will undergo revamping, and these, too, will be outsourced and designated as MNHCs. As a result, 98 Maryam Nawaz Health Clinics across the district will provide free and quality healthcare services to the public. The administration managing MNHCs, including the financial and operational systems, will submit their claims for costs to the Punjab government in exchange for providing free healthcare services. Dr Niazi further explained that with the establishment of 98 MNHCs across the district, people will no longer need to visit larger hospitals in the cities for treatment.
Express Tribune
02-03-2025
- Health
- Express Tribune
Pindi to outsource 20 more BHUs
After outsourcing seven Basic Health Units (BHUs) under the District Health Authority (DHA) of Rawalpindi to operate under the 'Maryam Nawaz Health Clinic' (MHNC) status, a fresh decision has been made to outsource 20 more BHUs under the same status. Citizens will receive free medical treatment, while the clinics' administration will claim billing from the Punjab government in return for the services provided. Of 100 BHUs in the Rawalpindi district, 22 BHU buildings have been revamped. Among them, seven BHUsincluding Kolian Hameed, Bajnial Gujran, Jand Melo, Kuri Dolal, Ranotrah, Mankiala, and Dakhalihad already been outsourced. These centres now have appointed doctors and supporting staff, along with laboratory testing and essential medicines. These BHUs have officially acquired the status of Maryam Nawaz Health Clinics, where citizens receive free medical care, and the billing claims are processed through the DHA and submitted to the provincial government. Furthermore, a decision has been made to outsource 20 more BHUs in the Rawalpindi district under the Maryam Nawaz Health Clinic initiative, and the process for this transition has already begun. It is noteworthy that in the first phase, the Punjab government has outsourced 150 BHUs across the province under this status, making them fully functional. In the second phase, an additional 982 BHUs are being outsourced. According to health department sources, while the infrastructure of BHUs is revamped, doctors and supporting staff are often unwilling to work there. Those who are posted either get themselves transferred through recommendations or remain absent, leaving the healthcare system to be managed by dispensers and other staff. To address this issue, the provincial government has adopted a policy to gradually outsource all BHUs across the province, giving them the status of MNHC. Chief Executive of the Rawalpindi DHA, Dr Asif Arbab Niazi, says in the first phase, when 150 BHUs were outsourced in Punjab, seven BHUs in Rawalpindi were included. Now, in the second phase, 982 more BHUs are being outsourced, including 20 additional BHUs in Rawalpindi, for which the process has already started, he adds. He further says Maryam Nawaz Health Clinics are ensuring high-quality medical treatment for citizens free of charge. The clinics' administration submits billing claims to the Punjab government through the respective DHA. This entire process is aimed at providing citizens with quality healthcare services free of cost.
