PEOPLE's Primary Healthcare initiative (PPHI), a social sector programme, was launched in March 2007 in Sindh with the aim of improving the first-level healthcare services to far-flung rural areas of the province.

As the management of the Basic Health Units (BHUs) and government dispensaries were transferred to the PPHI from the health department, it was not warmly welcomed by EDOs (health) of districts due to transfer of budgetary share from them.

Despite formidable challenges, the PPHI today is successfully delivering not only the first-level healthcare services but even the second-level healthcare services in some districts of Sindh.

So far the PPHI has intervened in 18 districts and soon be extending to the remaining ones. Under the programme, people get free treatment and medicines from health facilities. The FMO's programme which serves as a backbone of this intervention has made an excellent impact and poor female patients now feel free to discuss their health problems with the female medical officer which they were hitherto not able to do so.

In every district, the PPHI has also provided a female ultrasonologist who conducts free ultrasound so that poor patients get proper antenatal checkups and early diagnosis of their health problems.

Health education sessions to local community and school children are another preventive aspect where PPHI FMOs are delivering their services. Repair and renovation work of health facilities, which is a domain of works and services department, is also being started in these 18 districts by the PPHI in order to provide a healthier and comfortable environment to staff of the health facilities.

Extensive monitoring and facilitation visits by PPHI officers have been a great support and encouragement for doctors providing health services to the poor. The most important thing about this programme is doing all these works with a very small amount allocated to the PPHI in each district.

At the end of its second year, reviews, appraisals and evaluations of the Asian Development Bank and World Bank suggested that the programme is a great success and they have labelled it as a role model programme in Pakistan.

Last but not the least, all these accomplishments of the PPHI are the result of the people's support, participation and their appreciation and also its team's untiring efforts coupled with honest and dedicated leadership whose personal interest and diligence have set the PPHI as a glittering example for others to follow.

DR JUNAID GUL MEMON
Hyderabad