Hepatitis clinics being set up at DHQ hospitals, says minister

LAHORE

Punjab Minister for Specialised Healthcare and Medical Education Kh Salman Rafique has said that, in compliance with the directions of Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, work has been started to establish Hepatitis Prevention and Treatment Clinics (HPTC) at the district headquarters hospitals.

He said that where the space was available in the existing buildings, the clinics would be set up in those buildings while where there was no space new buildings would be constructed for the hepatitis clinics. This facility would also be extended to the THQ hospitals where small dedicated clinics to be set up, he said while chairing a meeting of Cabinet Committee on Health Reforms at Civil Secretariat, according to a handout issued here on Thursday. Primary and Secondary Health Minister Kh Imran Nazir, Population Welfare Minister Begum Zakia Shahnawaz, Additional Chief Secretary Shamail Ahmad Khawaja, Primary and Secondary Health Secretary  Ali Jan Khan, Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) Chairman Dr Omer Saif and other officers were also present.

Secretary Primary & Secondary Health Ali Jan Khan informed that PC-I of Punjab Hepatitis Control Programme was approved, according to which Rs 2 billion were being spent on prevention and treatment of hepatitis. He said that dedicated clinics would also be set up at tehsil level where minimum one doctor and a nurse would be posted for counseling and provision of treatment to the hepatitis patients. Pakistan Kidney and Liver Institute would monitor performance through e-monitoring system from head office in Lahore and complete data bank and the details of diagnosis and treatment of the patients would be recorded in the headquarters of PKLI.

PITB Chairman Dr Omer Saif said that PITB had developed a software of HIMS for 40 DHQ/THQ hospitals under the revamping programme. The meeting also discussed the feasibility of launching of family medicine programme in Punjab. The meeting also discussed the matters regarding recruitment on vacant posts of faculties of Dera Ghazi Khan and Nishter Medical Colleges. Matters regarding the functioning and redressing the gaps in fully operationalising the Multan Institute of Kidney Diseases also came under discussion.