Ample stock of life-saving drugs available

LAHORE: Punjab Minister for Primary and Secondary Healthcare Khawaja Imran Nazir has said that the initiatives taken by Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz for the health department are being completed rapidly.

The health department is actively pursuing early completion of revamping 2,500 primary health centers and 300 rural health units. All the indicators are being monitored to improve the performance of the government hospitals in terms of providing medical facilities.

The minister expressed these views while presiding over a weekly review meeting of the health department which reviewed the initiatives of the chief minister, ongoing projects and supply of medicines in hospitals. Field hospitals, clinics on wheels and health facilities available under the programme were also reviewed in detail.

The minister said that he would visit Rawalpindi soon. He said that there is ample stock of life-saving medicines, including tetanus in the government hospitals. Khawaja Imran Nazir directed the Drug Control Wing to keep a close watch on the elements causing shortage of medicines in the markets. He said that family planning and other training of lady health workers and lady health visitors would be completed by June 30.

Secretary Health Ali Jan Khan, Special Secretary Muhammad Iqbal, DG Health Sciences Dr Ilyas Gondal, Director EPI Dr Mukhtar Awan, PD IRMNCH Dr Khalil and Additional Secretary Drug Control Dr Qalandar Khan and others attended the meeting.

Flaws in health insurance programme to be fixed

Provincial Health Minister Khawaja Salman Rafique said that the Punjab government is trying to make the health insurance programme beneficial for the people. We will fix the flaws in the health insurance programme. We are trying our best to increase the capacity of government hospitals and improve the financial model of the health insurance programme.

He expressed these views while chairing the third meeting of the sub-committee of the working group of health insurance along with provincial health minister Khawaja Imran Nazir in the Punjab Health Initiative Management Company on Thursday. Secretary Health Punjab Ali Jan Khan, Special Secretary Development Syed Wajid Ali Shah, University of Child Health Sciences VC Prof Dr Masood Sadiq, CEO Punjab Health Initiative Management Company Dr Ali Razzaq, Prof M Ali Ayaz Sadiq, Principal Services Institute of Medical Sciences Prof Zohra Khanum, Principal LGH Prof. Sardar Al-Fareed Zafar and Dr Zahid Pervez attended the meeting.

King Edward Medical University VC Prof Mahmood Ayaz and Principal Bahawalpur Medical College Prof Dr Sophia Farrukh participated in the meeting through a video link. The provincial health ministers reviewed the reforms in health insurance during the meeting. All the experts gave valuable suggestions and opinions in this regard.

Khawaja Salman Rafique on this occasion said that the patients coming to government hospitals are the most important for us. The final suggestions and opinions of the experts regarding Universal Health Insurance will be submitted to Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, he said.

Khawaja Imran Nazir on this occasion said that the rates will be revised in the universal health insurance programme. We want to promote private practice in government hospitals. The main objective of today’s meeting is to improve the universal health insurance programme, he added.