Staff at public health facilities in KP banned from using smartphones

PESHAWAR: Staff at public health facilities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) have been banned from using smartphones and tablets.

Indiscriminate use of such devices results in ethical, technical and practical problems at health facilities, said a notification issued by the Officer of the Minister of Health (KP) on Tuesday.

“This creates a lot of frustration in patients and their accompanying attendants against health care professionals and public sector facilities,” read the notification.

However, for emergency situations and other official use, the staff can use phones that lack internet access.

The health department is also expected to constitute an independent monitoring unit to ensure compliance with the directives.