45 more professions included in loan scheme: minister

LAHORE: Punjab Health Minister D. Yasmin Rashid has formally introduced further 45 medical related professions to be qualified for interest-free loans under Punjab Health Foundation (PHF) Self-Support Scheme in a “road show” held here on Sunday.

The health minister said the Punjab government was providing public and private medical sector with necessary facilities alike. “PHF in the first phase would provide 100,000 new job opportunities to medical professionals. The self-support scheme is an ideal programme to reduce pressure on public sector jobs. The scope of the scheme would be extended gradually”, she said.

She told the participants in the road show that only professionals from private sectors, including doctors, homeopaths, hakims, telemedicine experts, dental experts, nurses and the experts related with health gyms home care would be helped to establish their own businesses. “Loans ranging from Rs 200,000 to Rs 2.5 million would be distributed as “Qraz e Hassna” to more than 45 medical professions” said Yasmin Rashid. She said applicants could apply online. The process on all applications would be completed within 40 days, she said.

The health minister expressed her satisfaction over recovery ratio of the loans which stood at over 97 per cent. She also expressed her satisfaction over transparency in PHF matters. Specialised Health Secretary Saqib Zaffer said road show was the first public level programme with regard to the scheme. He praised the PHF MD, saying he had developed a transparent system.

The secretary also directed PHF to provide maximum facilities to the applicants. PHFMD Ajmal Bhatti said the loan scheme was a major step towards creating 10 million job opportunities under the prime minister’s programme. A counselling cell also has been established to provide consultancy to new comers” he said.

quackery outlets: Punjab Healthcare Commission (PHC) has sealed more than 7,000 quackery outlets and its teams visited 25,284 treatment centres. Around 7,900 quacks have shut down their outlets. The district administration inspected 3,212 premises and sealed 1,534 outlets as per Punjab Healthcare Commission Act 2010. Since mid-April, PHC and district authorities inspected 28,496 treatment centres and sealed over 8,500 quacks businesses.

The PHC teams sealed 913 quackery outlets in Lahore, 543 in Faisalabad, Sheikhupura 472, Gujranwala 467and Kasur 422. The commission received over 3,450 de-sealing applications and imposed a fine of over Rs206 million on them.