PHC stops nine hospitals from doing surgeries

LAHORE: The Punjab Healthcare Commission stopped 25 operation theatres of nine hospitals from conducting surgeries and issued notices to 18 healthcare establishments for not implementing Minimum Service Delivery Standards and violating PHC Act 2010.

According to a press release issued here on Thursday, in its 31 inspections of both public and private hospitals of different districts of the province during the last two days, the PHC had directed administrations of these hospitals to suspend surgeries in the operation theatres because these OTs were unfit to be kept functional. Moreover, notices had also been served to eight hospitals for not taking requisite measures for the medical waste. Out of 25 operation theatres, one each was of the Chiniot General Hospital Faisalabad, Al-Hadi Hospital Bhakkar, DHQ Hospital Layyah and THQ Hospital Jampur DG Khan, two each of the Brig Shafique Memorial Hospital Bhakkar, Wapda Hospital Faisalabad, DHQ Hospital Toba Tek Singh, six of the DHQ Teaching Hospital Sahiwal and nine were of the Bahawal Victoria Hospital Bahawalpur.

These hospitals were also served notices, and directed to submit written replies to the PHC. These theatres would become functional only after the administrations concerned would submit laboratory reports to the Punjab Healthcare Commission after having ensured implementation of the standardised measures in these theatres.

The commission had also served show-cause notices to 18 hospitals, which included Idrees Hospital, Islam Central Hospital, Shahzad Bashir Hospital, Bethania Hospital, Memorial Christian Hospital, Amin Welfare Teaching Hospital, Zohra Memorial Hospital and Younas Hospital of Sialkot, Khawaja Farid Social Security Hospital and Wapda Hospital, Haji Abdul Qayyum Hospital and Silver Jubilee Maternity Hospital of Sahiwal, Maryam Children Hospital Layyah (indoor services closed as well), Civil Hospital Bahawalpur, Christian Hospital Taxila and Maryam Hospital Rawalpindi.

Breast Cancer: Punjab Minister for Specialised Healthcare & Medical Education (SH&ME) Khwaja Salman Rafique along with Secretary Health Najam Ahmad Shah inaugurated a Breast Cancer Clinic costing Rs450 million in Multan, where Multan Division Commissioner Bilal Ahmad Butt was also present.

According to a handout issued Thursday, it was revealed by the minister that diagnostic along with treatment facilities would be provided free-of-cost at the clinic. Salman Rafique explained that the clinic would provide medicines, chemotherapy & radiotherapy free-of-cost to the patients.

He added that work on 100-bed cancer unit at Nishtar Hospital has been initiated and funds of Rs200 million have been allocated for the project. The minister added that this would be a state-of-the-art and a unique cancer clinic where treatment for all kinds of cancers would be provided free-of-cost.

Secretary Najam Ahmad Shah added that diagnostic and treatment facilities would be provided free-of-cost to the patients although a minor fee for X-Ray film would be taken from the patients.

Bilal Butt Commissioner explained that construction work on the basement of the clinic is progressing at a rapid pace and special monitoring of the construction work is carried out to ensure that the construction work at the facility meets the quality standards.

Nishtar Medical University Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Zaffar Hussain Tanveer, MS Nishtar Hospital Abdul Rehman Qureshi and Head of the Cancer Department Nishtar Hospital Professor Dr Ijaz Masood were also present.

PKLI: Pakistan Kidney & Liver Institute (PKLI) completed three-day Influenza Vaccination Drive for its staff members at the hospital. According to a press release, the drive was aimed at protecting PKLI staff against the seasonal influenza (H1N1). The staff showed interest in the drive and got their flu shots with enthusiasm. They appreciated the effort of hospital administration.