Referral system being set up to treat children

LAHORE

To provide better health facilities to the children, a paediatric referral system is being set up in Punjab.

The paediatric referral system is being introduced with a view to optimum utilisation of the available facilities of medical treatment for children in the teaching hospitals and to reduce the workload at Children Hospital, Lahore.

As a pilot project, referral system between public sector hospitals and Children Hospital would be established in which private hospitals would also be involved.

In this connection, a meeting was held in Civil Secretariat which was chaired by Specialised Healthcare and Medical Education Secretary Najam Ahmed Shah, according to a handout issued here on Friday. 

King Edward Medical University Vice-Chancellor Prof Faisal Masood, Children Hospital Dean Prof Masood Sadiq, Prof Jalil Mian from Manchester University, the UK, Health Additional Secretary Admin Asad Naeem,  Children Hospital Director Emergency Dr Nasir and other officers attended the meeting.

Prof Masood Sadiq briefed the meeting on the project that every teaching hospital had a full-fledged paediatric department and all relevant medical treatment facilities but the children suffering from minor ailments were referred to Children Hospital. He said that a large number of children with minor diseases were also being referred from private hospitals to Children Hospital, due to which, not only treatment facilities were being compromised but the children and their parents also had to face difficulties.

Najam Ahmed Shah directed that Children Hospitals of Multan and Faisalabad should also be strengthened. He directed that regional referral system be established as the first step.

He nominated Prof Masood Sadiq as focal person and nominee of Punjab government for this pilot project, under which, a referral system among Mayo Hospital,  Jinnah Hospital, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital and General Hospital with the Children Hospital would be established and the private hospitals from where children were referred to the Institute of Child Health and Children Hospital would also be included in the system.

The Punjab specialised healthcare and medical education secretary directed that Children Hospital should impart training in human resource to the hospitals and also provide help and guidance to the hospitals. He said that PITB would be asked to prepare connectivity network for this purpose. He directed that a focal person in every hospital be nominated to supervise the referral system in the hospital concerned.

He directed that input from the representatives of Pakistan Paediatric Association and family physicians also be got for this purpose.

Prof Masood Sadiq that all the district headquarters as well as tehsil headquarters hospitals had paediatricians who could easily treat the children with common and minor diseases at the local level.