Strengthening primary health care services need of hour: governor

LAHORE:Punjab Governor Sardar Saleem Haider Khan has emphasised the need to strengthen primary health care services in the country to alleviate the increasing pressure on tertiary care hospitals.

Highlighting the pivotal role of general physicians, the governor commended the role of University of Health Sciences (UHS) in incorporating family medicine into the MBBS curriculum, describing it as a significant step forward in health care reform. He made these remarks during a meeting with UHS Vice Chancellor Prof Ahsan Waheed Rathore, who called on him on Friday.

The governor underscored the importance of enhancing the training and services of family physicians and general practitioners through government institutions to strengthen primary and secondary health care in Punjab's urban areas. Acknowledging UHS's contributions, the governor praised the university's efforts in equipping health professionals at district and tehsil headquarter hospitals with emergency life-saving skills.

Prof Rathore briefed the governor about the training of all UHS students in six essential emergency skills, including Basic Life Support, Advanced Life Support, and Trauma First Response, among others. This initiative will see thousands of trained graduates enter the health care system annually, significantly improving emergency care services nationwide.

Prof Rathore also apprised the Punjab governor of the introduction of an integrated MBBS and BDS curriculum in affiliated medical and dental colleges. He highlighted UHS’s pioneering efforts in designing a modular five-year BDS curriculum, which was recently approved by the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PM&DC) for implementation across the country starting in the 2024-25 academic session.

“This is the first time in Pakistan’s history that an integrated BDS curriculum has been introduced. The old curriculum, which had been in place for 20 years, lacked a comprehensive clinical training module. The new curriculum addresses this gap, ensuring global acceptability and recognition of Pakistani degrees,” Prof Rathore said.

He added that UHS has successfully implemented the new MBBS curriculum across the largest number of medical colleges affiliated with any university in Pakistan. The revised curricula for both MBBS and BDS now include advanced courses on public health and family medicine as mandatory components to equip graduates with community-based clinical training skills.

Prof Rathore proposed the restoration of Model Urban Primary Clinics to expand primary care services in urban areas. These clinics, staffed by multidisciplinary health care teams, would provide comprehensive services to communities. The governor endorsed the idea and urged Prof Rathore to lead the efforts in training and capacity building of health care professionals.