ISLAMABAD: While ministries and divisions have been directed to take austerity measures, a number of health units will be merged along with the abolition of posts lying vacant for the last three years.

According to a document, available with Dawn, the Finance Division has suggested austerity measures to control expenditures of the federal government. There will be a complete ban on purchase of all types of vehicles with the exception of ambulances and other medically-equipped vehicles, firefighting vehicles, buses and vans for educational institutions, solid waste vehicles and motorbikes.

The procurement of machinery/equipment will also be banned except those required for hospitals, laboratories, agriculture and mining sectors and schools. Ministries have been informed that there will also be ban on creation of new posts, including contingent paid/temporary posts. Moreover, continuation of contingent paid/temporary posts will not be allowed beyond one year. Medical treatment from abroad at the government expense will now be allowed and all non-obligatory visits abroad where government funding is involved will not be allowed.

It stated that all posts lying vacant for the last three years shall be abolished. However, creation of posts under Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) funded projects shall be exempted from the ban. According to the documents, Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC)’s 98 vacant posts from BPS 1-16 will be abolished.

The Allied Health Professional Council will be merged into Pakistan Nursing and Midwifery Council; National Council of Homeopathy and National Council of Tibb will be merged to form National Council of Traditional, Alternative and Complimentary Medicine. Human Organs Transplantation Authority (HOTA) and Islamabad Blood Transfusion Authority (IBTA) will be merged into Islamabad Healthcare Regulatory Authority (IHRA) which will result in reduction of over 80 employees.

Although Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Medical University, Health Services Academy and Federal Medical Colleges will be retained, they will be shifted to the Islamabad district administration in a year.

Regional Training Institute for Population Studies, National Institute of Population Studies and National Research Institute of Fertility Control will be merged to form one training and research entity focused on population.

The National Institute of Health’s Health Data Centre, Institute of Nutrition and Health and Centre for Environment and Occupational Health will be placed under the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) due to which over 550 seats will be abolished.

The document also showed that the federal government’s TB Centre Rawalpindi will be transferred to the Punjab government. Moreover, National Institute for Population Welfare will be closed down. — Ikram Junaidi

Published in Dawn, September 7th, 2024