Punjab CM Maryam takes important decisions for health reforms in province

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif chaired a meeting and took a number of important decisions for health reforms in the province on Wednesday, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

During meeting Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz ordered to complete construction and repair of health centers by March 2025.

The meeting agreed to make biometric attendance mandatory in health centers, tehsil and district hospitals.

It was decided in the meeting that Thalassemia centers will be established in district headquarters hospitals.

Every District Thalassemia Center will be linked with regional blood centres, the meeting decided.

The CM Maryam further gave instructions for setting up Woman Clinics in all district hospitals.

Mammography machine in each division and Breast Clinic will provide services in each district.

Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif took strict notice of the complaints of money collection by guards in hospitals and sought a plan to bring a public-friendly security system in hospitals.

Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz directed to make laparoscopy and endoscopy services functional in hospitals as soon as possible.

It was decided in the meeting to build a state of the art hospital in Rajanpur and in this regard Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz immediately called for the plan of the new DHQ Hospital in Rajanpur.

State-of-the-art Tesla MRI machines will be provided through outsourcing at Sheikhupura and Bahawalnagar, the meeting decided.

The meeting also agreed on the proposal to provide ventilators and trend staff in tehsil headquarters hospitals.

It also was decided to mechanize cleaning system in hospitals and for the purpose mechanical sweepers will be provided.

It was decided in principle to make selected rural health centers functional hospitals.

The CM ordered to ensure 100 percent free supply of medicines in health centers and improve medicine supply chain.

It was decided in the meeting to conduct third party audit in health sector twice a year.

It also was decided to conduct public health technician training of health staff of health centers and in this regard lady health visitors and other staff will be given ECG training.

Meeting further decided that 24-hour services will be provided in 200 primary health centers of Punjab till March 2025.

As many as 717 Health Nutrition Supervisor Nutrition Training will be conducted.

Anesthesiology, PEDs and cardiologists will visit once a week in distant hospitals and CT scan and pathology services will be outsourced.

The Chief Minister said that upgrading the health centers will reduce the rush of patients in the big hospitals.

Maryam Nawaz Sharif said that improvement in services is not possible until the infrastructure is rebuilt.

Hospitals require specialized human resources, said Maryam Nawaz.

She said a home delivery model of health services should be adopted.

Surgery in government hospitals should be brought to laparoscopy, Maryam Nawaz Sharif added.

The CM said in the last four years, there was a crisis of good governance in every sector including health.

Senator Pervez Rasheed, Senior Minister Maryam Aurangzeb, Provincial Ministers, Uzma Zahid Bukhari, Khawaja Salman Rafiq, Khawaja Imran Nazir, Dr. Adnan Khan, Dr. Farqad Alamgir, Chief Secretary, Secretaries and other relevant officials attended the meeting.

Provincial Health Advisor Major General (Rtd) Azhar Mehmood Kayani participated through video link.

Reporter: Rao Dilshad Hussain