‘DHQ hospitals to get 10,000 beds in two years’

LAHORE

Adviser to chief minister on Health Khawaja Salman Rafiq has said the government is implementing a plan to provide quality healthcare facilities to people of far-flung and rural areas. He said in the next two years ten thousand beds would be provided to the DHQ hospitals and dental and burn units would also be set up in these hospitals. 

He stated this while chairing a meeting to review the development schemes of primary and secondary health department at DG HS Committee Room, according to a handout issued on Thursday. Secretary, Primary & Secondary Health Department, Ali Jaan Khan, Director General, Health, Mukhtar Hussain Syed, Additional Secretary Adnan Zafar, Additional Secretary Development Dr Faisal, all officers of the department concerned, representatives from Finance Department and PITB attended the meeting.

Secretary, Primary & Secondary Health Department, Ali Jaan informed that the government has released Rs 800 million for the construction of Wah Cantt General Hospital. He said Intensive Care Units would also be established in all DHQ hospitals. Construction of THQ hospital Murree and purchase of low-cost mobile health units are also included in the development programme.

The meeting was informed that 17 incinerators and two autoclave machines are being purchased for the disposal of hospital waste. Additional Secretary and In charge Punjab AIDS Control Programme Dr Adnan Zafar informed that diagnostic kits to assess the type of HIV virus worth Rs 29.12 million would be purchased. It was informed that after successful experiment of mobile health units in southern Punjab, on the directions of the CM, Health Department is purchasing another ten to twelve mobile health units for which Rs 1 billion have been allocated and bids for the purchase of MHUs would open on May 27.

Moreover, 193 pickups are being converted into ambulances to facilitate DHQ and THQ hospitals.

The meeting was informed that rapid screening kits for diagnosis of AIDS of Rs 34 million would be procured. Director EPI Dr Munir Ahmad informed the meeting that 1600 motorbikes are being distributed among the vaccinators to improve the routine immunisation coverage and so far distribution of motorbikes has been completed in 19 districts.

workshop: Punjab Healthcare Commission (PHC) is the first regulatory body to introduce and implement Minimum Service Delivery Standards for healthcare providers and healthcare establishments at government and private levels. 

This was stated by Dr Mushtaq Ahmed, Director, Clinical Governance and Organisational Standards, PHC, while addressing the participants of a three-day training workshop, according to a press release on Thursday. The training workshop was attended by 47 participants including health managers, consultants and allied health professionals from 10 different districts of Punjab. The area of training included access, assessment and continuity of care, care of patients, management of medication, patient rights and education, hospital infection control, continuous quality improvement, responsibilities of management, facility management and safety, Human resource management and information management systems.