Health department to regularise 3,000 nurses

LAHORE

Punjab Health Department on Friday decided to regularise 3,000 nurses presently working on contract basis. 

The department has completed its homework and a summary would be forwarded to the Punjab chief minister very soon in this regard.

This was stated by Nursing Punjab Director General Kousar Perveen while addressing a ceremony held in connection with rewarding a nurse for her extraordinary performance during incident of blast occurred in the Defense area. The nurse named Ammara served the injured of blast relentlessly and did not stop even her uniform was stained with blood. The ceremony was attended by AMS Dr Shabnam Gulzar, Deputy Chief Nursing Superintendent Farhat Mahboob, Director Nursing Sajida Zahoor, Razia Bano and a large number of nurses. 

Kousar Perveen said the chief minister was focused on ensuring maximum provision of medical facilities to the masses by strengthening Health Department and the department was also considering the policy of regularising the nurses recruited against the posts created by Board of Management. She said that the government had adopted the policy to give confidence to employees whether they were permanent or contract based. 

She said that Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif sent a group of 20 nurses to Turkey for training and the next badge of nurses belonging to hospital of South Punjab was also ready to move to Turkey for another training session.

Farhat Mahboob said that Turk Health Department was much impressed by the talent of Pakistani nurses and they gave commendatory certificates to them. She said that Punjab health Department was also committed to honouring the nurses who would show great sense of responsibility in performance of their duties.

health reforms: A meeting of Cabinet Committee on Health Sector Reforms held in the Committee Room of Civil Secretariat here on Friday which reviewed progress vis-à-vis appointment of chief executive officers of district health authorities in all the districts, revamping of Jinnah Hospital and funding for procurement of medical equipment for Pakistan Kidney and Liver Institute (PKLI) etc.

Punjab Minister for Specialised Healthcare and Medical Education Kh Salman Rafique presided over the meeting which was attended by Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) Shamail Ahmad Khawaja, Secretary Primary and Secondary Health Ali Jan Khan, Special Secretary Specialised Healthcare and Medical Education Dr Sajid Mahmood Chauhan, Director General Infrastructure Development Authority (IDAP) Mujahid Sherdil, member health P&D Dr Shabana Haider, Vice-Chancellors University of Health and Fatima Jinnah Medical University Prof Junaid Sarfraz Khan and health officers concerned.

Shamail Ahmed Khawaja directed that a working paper and road map for establishing central lab should be prepared and monthly progress should be monitored according to the road map for setting up central lab in Lahore. 

Mujahid Sherdil of IDAP informed that bids from different firms for architectural designing and consultancy for revamping of Jinnah Hospital had been received and the IDAP was evaluating the bids. It was informed that construction work on PKLI was being carried out on fast track. It was also informed that medical equipment / machinery of Rs4 billion would be procured for PKLI for which various multinational companies had expressed their interest and the IDAP was considering different options.