LAHORE : Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid has ordered setting up Performance Monitoring Units in all teaching hospitals of Punjab.
Chairing an important meeting of vice chancellors and principals of teaching hospitals at the committee room of the Specialized Healthcare and Medical Education Department here on Saturday, the minister directed all vice chancellors to share the list of key performance indicators for medical and paramedical staff. Besides Secretary Specialized Healthcare and Medical Education Barrister Nabeel Awan, Special Secretary Silwat Saeed, Additional Secretary Asif Tufail, Additional Secretary Technical Dr. Salman Shahid, Vice Chancellor King Edward Medical University Prof. Khalid Masood Gondal, Vice Chancellor Fatima Jinnah Women University Prof. Amir Zaman Khan, Vice Chancellor Faisalabad Medical University Dr. Zafar Ali Chaudhry, Principal Services Institute of Medical Sciences Prof. Mahmood Ayaz, Principal Allama Iqal Medical University Prof. Arif Tajammul, Dr. Hussain Jaffery and others technical experts attended the meeting.
The minister said that vice chancellors must themselves ensure compliance of performance monitoring indicators. “The monitoring units will ensure performance assessment, compliance with SOPs and duty hours and make qualitative and quantitative assessment of the human resource. With dedicated performance monitoring units, all teaching hospitals will be able to analyze data on a periodic basis.”
Yasmin Rashid further directed that an administrative cadre would be developed from the institutions. “All hospitals shall identify staff for leadership and administrative positions. They will be trained on administration and financial procedures so that these facilities are developed.” The minister directed immediate start of diplomas in anesthesia, radiology, pathology and forensic medicines. She also directed to constitute a committee to analyse patients being referred to teaching hospitals from other cities. “The committee of experts will randomly pick patients referred from other cities to avoid unnecessary referrals.”
The minister directed the vice chancellors of all medical universities to set up dedicated research units in their hospitals. Yasmin Rashid took a briefing on the pilot project of the referral system in Jinnah Hospital’s vicinity and approved the initiation of another pilot project for Lahore’s neighbouring cities, like Sheikhupura and Kasur.
Meanwhile, Yasmin Rashid has directed the vertical programs of the Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department to introduce chip-based electronic cards for treatment of TB, HIV and hepatitis patients. The initiative will help stop duplication of data and bring more transparency into the system. Chairing a performance review meeting of the vertical programs at the committee room of the Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department, the minister directed the vertical programs to remove data anomalies and introduce evidence-based interventions for tangible improvement.
Secretary Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department Capt (Retd) Usman Younus, Special Secretary PSH Department Ajmal Bhatti, Additional Secretaries and Managers of Vertical Programs attended the meeting. The minister said that in the last one year, almost half-a-million people were given free medicines for hepatitis, HIV/AIDs and tuberculosis through the vertical programs. Only Hepatitis Control Program is providing diagnostic and treatment services to over 70,000 people, she said. The minister reviewed details of programmatic interventions and the strategies to achieve them. The committee of technical experts led by Special Secretary Ajmal Bhatti presented a data analysis of the vertical programs, districts with high patients of HIV, TB and hepatitis and suggested interventions.
“Punjab needs to run special awareness campaigns on re-use of syringes and end of quackery in districts with high prevalence of Hepatitis and HIV/AIDS,” the minister said. Yasmin Rashid also emphasized that vacant slots of vaccinators must be immediately filled and said the hiring process must immediately start.
“The exam must be conducted in Urdu and it must be conducted as early as possible without compromising transparent in hiring.” The minister also said an awareness campaign was needed in districts low on immunisation so that parents could get their children immunised.