LAHORE : Punjab is all set to scale up the Patient Referral System to entire Lahore after a successful pilot project in the Jinnah Hospital vicinity, Punjab Health Minister Dr. Yasmin Rashid said here on Saturday.
The minister called a review meeting of the Referral System implementing team at the Committee Room of the Specialized Healthcare and Medical Education Department. The meeting was attended by Special Secretary Silwat Saeed, Additional Secretary Nadir Chatha, Vice Chancellor King Edward Medical University Prof. Khalid Masood Gondal, MD Punjab Health Foundation Ms. Kiran Khurshid, Principal Ameeruddin Medical College Prof. Dr. Sardar Alfareed, Vice Chancellor Faisalabad Medical University Dr. Farid Zafar, Principal Allama Iqbal Medical College Prof. Arif Tajammul, Prof. Dr. Amir Aziz, Dr. AKhtar Rashid, Dr. Hussain Jaffery, Additional Secretary Admin SHME Amir Ghazi, Additional Secretary Technical Dr. Salman Shahid, Prof. Farid and technical experts.
The committee gave a detailed briefing on lessons learnt from the pilot project introduced in the vicinity of Jinnah Hospital. The Patient Referral System envisages development of a linkage system among healthcare facilities of key tiers. As a pilot project, dispensaries and filter clinics in Jinnah Hospital zone were linked. The filter clinics and family units were renamed as Jinnah Satellite Filter Clinics, providing treatment to the population on their doorsteps.
“Based on the lessons learnt from the model, the project will be initially be scaled up in tertiary care hospitals of Lahore and then phase-wise extended to the rest of Punjab,” the minister said. As part of the Referral System, experts of relevant fields will visit the primary facilities and the patients can go and seek treatment there. Basic services like safe deliveries, obstetrics as well as treatment for minor ailment will be available to patients in the primary facilities.
Ms. Kiran Khurshid from the Punjab Health Foundation gave a presentation on the model, shared lessons learnt and the way forward. “The Punjab Health Foundation deserves appreciation for introducing and implementing the pilot project. I also appreciate vice chancellors and principals for their extraordinary commitment and technical input for the project,” Yasmin Rashid said.
ONLINE TRANSFER SYSTEM: Punjab has finalised preparations for the introduction an e-transfers system for medical staff and the system will soon be put in place, said Punjab Health Minister Dr. Yasmin Rashid.
The minister called a review meeting to monitor the progress made so far at the Committee Room of the Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department. Secretary Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department Capt (Retd) Usman Younus, Special Secretary Ajmal Bhatti, former DG Health Dr. Akhtar Rashid, DG PFA Irfan Memon and HISDU team attended the meeting. The minister said as part of the e-transfer system, staff of BPS-17 and above will be able to submit online applications for transfers and postings and it would make it easier for the staff as well as the administrators to introduce efficiency into the system.
“This will also put an end to the political influence and nepotism in the department as for as transfers are concerned. Once the applications are in the queue, applicants will be able to track the status and the progress of their applications online as well. The app and the forms have been made easy and convenient and this will benefit the employees a great deal,” the added. Secretary PSH Department Capt (Retd) Usman Younus gave a detailed briefing on the progress made so far and the new features added to the app. The minister also reviewed issues of the management cadre.