The government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa formally launched its Performance Agreement Framework on Monday, with the Health Department, Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) and Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) Polio becoming the first entities to sign performance-based commitments. The agreements were signed during a ceremony attended by senior government leadership, marking the first phase of a province-wide initiative designed to link departmental performance with clearly defined targets, timelines and independent monitoring mechanisms.
Framework Part of CM Good Governance Roadmap
The framework has been introduced under the CM Good Governance Roadmap, led by Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, with the objective of enhancing ownership, transparency and accountability across government departments. The agreements are being executed between the government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, represented by Chief Secretary Shahab Ali Shah, and the respective administrative secretaries. The concerned provincial ministers are serving as witnesses, while Additional Chief Secretary Abid Majeed and Additional Chief Secretary Planning and Development Islam Zaib also witnessed the signing ceremony.
Health Department Commitments
The first Performance Agreement was signed between Chief Secretary Shahab Ali Shah and Health Secretary Shahid Ullah. Under the agreement, the Health Department pledged to recruit and deploy at least 500 additional doctors to Basic Health Units (BHUs) and Rural Health Centres (RHCs), ensuring that no primary healthcare facility remains without a doctor. The department also committed to making 250 BHUs and RHCs fully operational for 24-hour childbirth services, enabling expectant mothers, particularly in remote and underserved areas, to access safe delivery services and helping reduce preventable maternal and neonatal deaths.
Polio Eradication Agreement
The government formally signed a second Performance Agreement focusing on polio eradication. The agreement was signed by Chief Secretary Shahab Ali Shah, Health Secretary Shahid Ullah, EOC Polio Coordinator Shafiullah Khan, and EPI Director Dr Sohail Farooqi. Through the tripartite agreement, the Health Department, EOC and EPI jointly committed to achieving measurable targets in support of Pakistan’s national polio eradication efforts.
The Health Department pledged to deploy 150 additional doctors at BHUs and RHCs across the southern districts of the province, regarded as the frontline in the fight against polio. The EPI committed to maintaining functionality of more than 97 per cent of fixed vaccination centres while increasing full routine immunization coverage to 85 per cent.
Government Officials' Remarks
Addressing the ceremony, Health Minister Khaleeq-ur-Rehman said that although the provincial government had accorded the health sector the highest priority and allocated a record budget under Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, considerable work remained to further improve healthcare services. He observed that the growing disease burden posed a significant challenge and stressed that failure to address it today would create even greater pressures in the future. He said the government was committed to developing sustainable solutions.
Chief Secretary Shahab Ali Shah said the Chief Minister had made healthcare the government's foremost priority, with a focus on expanding health coverage and ensuring affordable, quality healthcare. He said the government's immediate priorities were to ensure availability of doctors at every primary healthcare facility, strengthen round-the-clock maternal and neonatal care services, and improve performance of underperforming hospitals. Referring to the hospital outsourcing initiative, he said the successful transformation of Mishti Mela Hospital in Orakzai District demonstrated the effectiveness of entrusting hospital management to professional service providers. He added that polio eradication remained a major challenge requiring greater efforts to reach every child.
