Implementation of proposals on family planning starts

LAHORE: The implementation of the recommendations of the task force on family planning constituted as per the Supreme Court orders has been initiated.

A meeting comprising senior officials of Punjab Healthcare Commission and important stakeholders was held here on Thursday with Chief Executive Officer PHC Dr Mushtaq Ahmed Salariya in the chair.

Dr Salariya briefed the meeting about the PHC’s mandate and mentioned that inspection of the family planning services at the HCEs was also being carried out as per the requirement of the minimum service delivery standards (MSDS).

Representatives of the stakeholders appreciated the PHC for taking the initiative. While assuring full support, they underlined the need for awareness and training of the family physicians and private hospitals so that people could be persuaded for actualizing the goals of the family planning. It was agreed that the private healthcare establishments, besides advocating for the cause of the family planning, should provide the services and refer deserving patients to the population welfare centres.

On the suggestion of the Punjab Healthcare Commission, the Population Welfare Department has nominated the District Population Officers as the Focal Persons for consultation and guidance of the family physicians. The participants were unanimous for holding awareness seminars and training of the family physicians in all districts of the province.

Focal person of the Specialised Healthcare and Medical Education Department Prof Dr Robina Sohail, Dr Tariq Mahmood Mian and Dr Aftab Iqbal Shaikh of the Pakistan Academy of Family Physicians, Dr Aaiesha Qureshi Dr Shabana Khalid and Dr Nailah Akhtar of the Population Welfare Department, PMA’s Dr Iram Shahzadi, and Deputy Secretary SHC&ME Dr Hafiz Shahid Latif, while directors Complaints Prof Riaz Ahmed Tasneem, Licensing Dr Muhammad Anwar Janjua, and Quality Assurance Dr Salman Qamar represented the PHC.

dialogue: To overcome differences, we need to engage in dialogue with each other, the sole purpose of which is to understand each other’s point of view.

These thoughts came in a series of interactions held by the teachers of Bahauddin Zakariya University (BZU), Multan; Mian Nawaz Sharif University of Agriculture, Multan; University of Education, Multan; and Punjab University, Lahore and were organised with the support of Pak Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS). A dozens of such interactions were conducted, discussing topics as wide as the role of teachers and students in peace and harmony, and how social media can be effectively used to promote similarities.

Throughout the interactions, teachers advised the students that the tradition of dialogue in universities should be upheld. Dialogues should be about mutual interactions, exchanging views, learning to differ from each other, without provocation to violence.

Teachers noted that students coming to universities hail from different socio-economic and ethnic backgrounds. The common thing they usually suffer from is lack of interaction; thereby, giving birth to common misunderstandings about each other. It was also opined by the teachers that dialogues need to be conducted in campuses to better understand each other’s perspectives. They called for frequent dialogues on the theme of peace and harmony and incorporation of the same in curricula of schools, colleges and universities.

Teachers and students can be trained on how to uphold diversity of opinion in the classrooms, without touching upon the sensibilities of each other, they added.

Nurse dies: Beenish Sardar, a 24-year-old staff nurse of Lahore General Hospital, died here in the hospital after remaining in serious condition for one week.

She was in her hometown in Kasur when suddenly she felt senseless and was brought immediately to Lahore General Hospital for treatment but could not survive after medical services of seven days. On Thursday morning her body was sent to Kasur in the presence of Deputy Chief Nursing Superintendent Ms. Razia Bano and other colleagues. Principal Post Graduate Medical Institute Prof. Mohammad Tayyab & Ms LGH has expressed grief over the sad demise.