Not to allow artificial rise in flour price: Maryam

LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has made it clear that she will not spare anyone involved in artificial rise in the flour price.

Chairing a meeting on how to regulate the market price of flour here on Wednesday, she took a unique move to validate the data presented by the Food Department on the market price of flour. She called the data on the market price of flour and put it in front of officers and expressed displeasure over presenting wrong data on flour price by the Food Department, as it differed from the actual market rates of flour. She directed determining the price of flour according to the category of Pakistan Standards & Quality Control. She directed authorities to present a daily report on the market price of flour.

The chief minister decided in principle to allow the transportation of flour with permission. She also directed restructuring the Food Department. “Legal action must be ensured against corrupt elements. Create a digital monitoring mechanism for the officials of the Food Department. Mafias are doing their work and departments are sleeping. How will governance improve if departments do not do their work? Farmers have sold their wheat, now I will not allow mafias to exploit people.”

Earlier, she was briefed that Punjab has official wheat reserves of 2.2 million metric tonnes, while a total of 6 million metric tonnes of wheat is available in Punjab. There is more than sufficient wheat in the province. Geo-tagging of wheat reserves is being done to check hoarding.

Chairing a meeting on health sector reforms, the chief minister said upgrading health centres will reduce rush of patients in big hospitals. She added: “Improvement in health services is not possible until the infrastructure is rebuilt. It is my dream to bring every health facility to the doorstep of people. Hospitals require specialized human resource. A home delivery model of health services should be adopted. Surgery in public hospitals should be brought to laparoscopy. Make laparoscopy and endoscopy services functional in hospitals as soon as possible. In the last four years, there was a governance crisis in every sector including health. Make biometric attendance mandatory in health centres, Tehsil and district hospitals.”

Maryam said: “Thalassaemia centres will be established in district headquarters hospitals and will be linked with Regional Blood Centres.” She directed authorities to start Women Clinics on Wheels in district hospitals. “In each division, Mammography Machine and Breast Clinic on Wheels will provide services in each district turn by turn.” She took strict notice of complaints about seeking money by security guards in hospitals and sought a plan to bring a public-friendly security system in hospitals. She directed building a state-of-the-art hospital in Rajanpur, and sought a plan for a new DHQ Hospital there. She was told state-of-the-art Tesla MRI machines will be provided through outsourcing at Sheikhupura and Bahawalnagar.

She agreed to a proposal to provide ventilators and trained staff in Tehsil headquarters hospitals. She directed authorities to provide mechanical sweepers in hospitals to mechanise cleaning system. She decided in principle to make selected RHCs functional. She directed ensuring 100% free supply of medicines in health centres, besides improving the medicine supply chain. She decided to get a third party audit of the health system twice a year. She decided to conduct training of public health technicians. “Lady health visitors and other staff will be given ECG training. 24-hour services will be provided in 200 Basic Health Units of Punjab till March. Nutrition training will be conducted for 717 Health Nutrition Supervisors. Anaesthesiologists, paediatricians and cardiologists will visit distant hospitals once a week. CT scan and pathology services will be outsourced.”