The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Health Department on Wednesday revealed its move to improve transparency and accountability through the use of CCTV cameras in all the offices dealing publicly in the province.
The decision was adopted at one of the departmental review meetings held in Peshawar, when the health officials decided to empower the control and enhance the monitoring of staff activity and working process in the office.
The adviser to the health department Ehtesham Ali said, the initiative would start with placing cameras in offices of Medical Superintendents (MS) and District Health Officers (DHOs).
Besides, the next 15 days will see the installation of CCTV cameras at the Health Department Secretariat, as well as in each of the directorates.
This is one of the steps we are taking in order to achieve some transparency in the system and to make all levels accountable according to Ehtesham Ali. We are engaged in ensuring good standards of professionalism and trust of the people in the running of healthcare.
Another major policy was arrived at the meeting in terms of appointment to administrative positions. Henceforth such appointments will be done in a transparent and merit-based process.
A placement team will be established to have a short list of three candidates per available post after which final decisions are made after carrying out thorough interviews.
Ehtesham Ali emphasized that political recommendation or outside influence will be not accepted during the hiring process. We are doing everything within our means to have meritocracy and openness in the department and these decisions will be followed to the latter, he further added.
The move has been largely greeted as a measure to re-shape the national health care system in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa which has been a long plagued by inefficiencies and lack of controls.
