FAISALABAD: Dozens of doctors and paramedics attached with the rural health centres and district council dispensaries on Thursday protested the move to wrap up the Punjab Rural Support Programme (PRSP) in the district.

Carrying banners and placards, the protesters started from the paramedics college and reached outside the DCO office.

The doctors and paramedics took to streets after being informed that the DCO Noorul Ameen Mengal had suggested to the Punjab government to stop the PRSP operations in the district.

A couple of days ago, the DCO had reportedly written a letter to the PRSP chief executive, mentioning the alleged irregularities being committed in the programme, including admission of fake patients, non-issuance of medicines and absence of staff from duty at various healthcare facilities being run under the initiative.

Talking to reporters, the protesters claimed the DCO’s report was not based on facts as they had been regularly treating patients at different villages for a decade.

They said instead of asking the government for regularising the service of the medical staff working for the rural community, the DCO suggested the closure of the programme that was unjust.

They said the PRSP closure would render more than 1,000 employees, including doctors, nurses and jobless in the district.

They threatened to stage protest demonstrations in Lahore if the programme was closed.

A district government officer, requesting anonymity, told Dawn the DCO’s report was factual as he had only informed the PRSP bosses of the pathetic performance of their subordinates.

He said Provincial Management Information System (MIS) Cell had also shown a serious concern over the ‘large’ number of OPD patients shown at the BHU’s.

The issue was also raised at the monthly review meeting of all the EDOs (Health) held under health secretary on April 8 last, he added.

He said it was clearly mentioned by the secretary that due to bogus entries and inflated figures of patients shown in Faisalabad PRSP record for various communicable disease, the district seemed to have an epidemic-like situation.

He said it was also conveyed that the per-day average at the BHUs in the whole Punjab was 30 to 40 patients, whereas in Faisalabad alone it was above 80 due to bogus entries.