Three childcare hospitals to be set up in south Punjab: Yasmin

MULTAN: The Punjab government has recruited 7600 new doctors to combat the shortage of doctors as 1,70,000 doctors are giving services to the 220 million population of the country and soon health facilities would be improved in public hospitals.

Talking at a reception hosted by Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) Multan chapter here on Monday, Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid assured the PMA office-bearers that doctors’ problems would be solved in the syndicate meeting but they should demonstrate patience and tolerance.

All office-bearers of the PMA from south Punjab districts were present on the occasion. PMA president Prof Dr Masoodur Rauf Haraj chaired the reception while Punjab Minister for Energy Dr Akhtar Malik was also present there.

She said that work on increasing the doctors’ salaries was in process and they would be given handsome packages. She said the government had planned to install air-conditioners in the Nishtar Hospital.

Talking about south Punjab, she said that posting of doctors to Rahimyar Khan, Bahawalpur, Dera Ghazi Khan and Multan would be done separately. The minister said that the government was going to enact new laws on violence against doctors to give protection to them. The violators would be dealt with iron hands.

PMA president Prof Dr Masoodur Rauf Haraj demanded the minister to release funds for Nishtar Hospital to make it a 1700-bed hospital and recruitment of teaching faculty. He demanded recruitment of doctors through Punjab Public Service Commission Multan quota so they would serve in Multan instead of other south Punjab districts. He demanded the removal of 2012 policy which binds the medical officers to serve three years in the periphery.

Punjab Minister for Energy Dr Akhtar Malik said that the government was going to equip Nishtar Hospital’s emergency, labour room and library with solar energy. Earlier, talking to journalists during her visit to Fatima Jinnah Hospital, she said the government had planned to introduce health cards scheme in 36 districts of Punjab and it would start from south Punjab. At least 50 million people across the province will benefit from the health card scheme. The public hospitals will provide free of cost health facilities to the patients on these health cards, she added.

The minister said that the government had planned to establish three new hospitals for childcare in south Punjab. She ordered Multan CEO Health Dr Munawar Abbas for provision of medicines in minimum time to combat the shortage of medicines. She ordered giving immediate relief to the patients particularly women on priority. To a query, she said the government had planned to establish separate neuro wards in each hospital of south Punjab with every kind of facility.