KP govt launches Performance Agreement Framework to drive accountability

PESHAWAR, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 6th Jul, 2026) The Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Monday formally launched its Performance Agreement Framework, with the Health Department, Expanded Programme on Immunization and Polio Eradication Programme becoming the first entities to sign performance-based commitments aimed at delivering measurable results for citizens.

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.

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 serve as witnesses to these commitments, while Additional Chief Secretary (General) Muhammad Abid Majeed and Additional Chief Secretary Planning & Development Lt. (R) islam Zaib also witnessed the signing ceremony, reflecting collective ownership of the reform initiative at the highest administrative level.

The first Performance Agreement was signed between Chief Secretary Shahab Ali Shah, Health Secretary Shahid Ullah Khan, committing the Health Department to a series of ambitious reforms aimed at strengthening Primary and secondary healthcare services across the province.

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 closer to their homes and helping reduce preventable maternal and neonatal deaths.

Another major commitment includes the construction, rehabilitation and upgradation of Basic and Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care (BEmONC and CEmONC) facilities throughout the province to improve maternal and newborn healthcare.

As part of a broader hospital management reform programme, the Health Department also undertook to hand over 62 secondary healthcare hospitals to professional service providers, a move aimed at improving efficiency, management standards and quality of healthcare delivery at the district level.

Following the signing of the Health Department agreement, the government formally signed a second Performance Agreement focusing on Polio Eradication, reaffirming Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's commitment to eliminating the disease through coordinated action.

The agreement was signed by Chief Secretary Shahab Ali Shah, Health Secretary Shahid Ullah Khan, Coordinator Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) Polio Shafiullah Khan, and Director Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) Dr. Muhammad Sohail Farooqi. Provincial Minister for Health Khaleeq ur Rehman, Additional Chief Secretary (General) Muhammad Abid Majeed and Additional Chief Secretary Planning & Development Lt. (R) Islam Zaib witnessed the signing.

Through the tripartite agreement, the Health Department, Emergency Operations Centre and Expanded Programme on Immunization jointly committed to achieving measurable targets in support of Pakistan's national polio eradication efforts.

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The Health Department pledged to deploy 150 additional doctors at BHUs and RHCs across southern districts of the province, regarded as the frontline in the fight against polio.

The Emergency Operations Centre committed to reducing the number of missed children in southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to below 10,000 and achieving negative environmental polio samples in Peshawar, Bannu and North Waziristan during two consecutive vaccination campaigns.

Meanwhile, the Expanded Programme on Immunization committed to maintaining the functionality of more than 97 per cent of fixed vaccination centres while increasing full routine immunization coverage to 85 per cent, ensuring protection of children against polio as well as other vaccine-preventable diseases.

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 the leadership of Chief Minister Muhammad Sohail Afridi, considerable work still remained to further improve healthcare services.

He observed that the growing disease burden posed a significant challenge for the province and stressed that failure to address it today would create greater pressures in the future.

He said the government was committed to developing sustainable solutions for managing disease burden while continuously improving public service delivery.

Speaking on the occasion, Chief Secretary Shahab Ali Shah said the Chief Minister had made healthcare the government's foremost priority, with a clear focus on expanding health coverage across the province and ensuring affordable, quality healthcare for every citizen.

He said the Health Minister, Health Secretary and the entire health team were working vigorously to improve service delivery, adding that the government's immediate priority was to ensure the availability of doctors at every primary healthcare facility, strengthen round-the-clock maternal and neonatal care services, and improve the performance of underperforming hospitals.

Referring to the government's hospital outsourcing initiative, the Chief Secretary said the successful transformation of Mishti Mela Hospital in Orakzai District demonstrated the effectiveness of entrusting hospital management to professional service providers, resulting in significant improvements in healthcare delivery.

He said polio eradication remained another major challenge requiring greater efforts to reach every child, particularly those missed during vaccination campaigns, while simultaneously strengthening routine immunization across the province.

Highlighting the significance of the newly introduced Performance Agreement Framework, Shahab Ali Shah said the initiative represented a new governance methodology based on measurable performance, accountability and results.

He noted that the framework would enable senior leadership to objectively assess departmental performance through clearly defined indicators while encouraging civil servants to achieve higher standards of service delivery.

He added that the system would not only improve transparency and accountability but also provide capable officers with opportunities to demonstrate excellence, contributing both to their professional advancement and to better public services for the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

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