Hospitals urged to control infection

LAHORE: Primary & Secondary Health Secretary Ali Jan Khan has directed the administration of DHQ and THQ hospitals and the officers of development wing to ensure completion of revamping work of 40 district and tehsil headquarters hospitals by October 2017 so that next phase of revamping of remaining 85 hospitals to be started in next year. 

He stated this while addressing a conference of medical superintendents of all DHQ and THQ hospitals on Sunday. 

The secretary directed the hospitals’ administrations to ensure implementation on Minimum Service Delivery Standards (MSDS). Ali Jan Khan said special measures should be taken for infection control, cleanliness and maintenance of hygienic environment in the hospitals.

He directed SOPs set by the Punjab Healthcare Commission to be followed. The meeting reviewed the procurement of medicines for next year and its availability for the patients. Progress in upgrade of emergency departments, setting up ICU and burn units in every DHQ hospital were reviewed in the meeting.

The meeting evaluated the new system of home delivery of medicines for hepatitis, TB, AIDS patients through courier service. Ali Jan said appropriate monitoring system should be in placed to check the new system for medicines delivery to ensure timely reaching of medicines to the patients to avoid any difficulty to them.

The secretary health was of the view that the main objective of all the reforms and development schemes is to ensure provision of quality health services to the patients at local level.Training: A six-day training programme for the first batch of the staff hired for clinics being set up under Pakistan Kidney and Liver Institute's Hepatitis Prevention and Treatment Programme (PKLI-HPTP) started at PKLI on Bedian Road, Lahore, on Sunday. 

The HPTP programme is a flagship initiative of Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif whereby government of Punjab is collaborating with PKLI&RC to set up and run hepatitis clinics in 36 districts of Punjab to provide free screening, vaccination and treatment to people. Among the trainees are medical officers, nursing and other paramedical staff who will be deputed at the clinics of PKLI.