PHC freezes private hospitals charges for virus patients

LAHORE:The Punjab Healthcare Commission on Tuesday frozen private hospital charges of February 2020 for treating the Covid-19 patients, and directed the healthcare establishments to display the rates at their premises.

As per a letter issued to the private hospitals treating Covid-19 by the PHC, their administrations have been directed to display hospital rates, including all but not limited to per day charges of a bed/room of isolation area, high-dependency units, intensive care units, ventilator services and Injection Actemra (where this service is provided).

The hospitals have been directed to display the rate list on their websites and at prominent places of the healthcare establishments. Also, the PHC has frozen hospital charges of February 2020.

The PHC has warned hospitals against taking extra charges. “The PHC teams will be regularly visiting the hospitals, and stringent action will be taken against any hospital found violating these directions,” added a PHC spokesperson.

rescue paramedics: The placement of human resource of 246 rescue paramedics of Punjab Emergency Service (Rescue 1122) would be given to Health Department to help the corona patients in hospitals on the desire of Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid.

Specialised training is being imparted to the rescuer paramedics at Expo Centre in collaboration of doctors, the nursing staff of Mayo Hospital under the supervision of rescue officers and instructors of Emergency Services Academy. The rescue paramedics would be trained on chest physiotherapy, use of a ventilator, donning and doffing of corona kits, etc.

In this regard, Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmeen Rashid on Tuesday visited the Expo Centre Field Hospital and witnessed the training of rescue paramedics being imparted to handle the corona patients. She was received by DG Rescue Punjab where he briefed the minister about the Rescue Triage Centre, corona emergency patients shifting, the burial of corona patients and above all triage-centre established at Expo centre. The minister was accompanied by the CEO Mayo Hospital Lahore, Prof Dr Muhammad Aslam, DG Rescue Punjab, senior officers from Rescue 1122 headquarters and Academy.

KEMU telemedicine dept: Punjab Industries and Trade Minister Mian Aslam Iqbal visited telemedicine department of King Edward Medical University on Tuesday.

Vice Chancellor KEMU Prof Khalid Masood Gondal while giving briefing on telemedicine department informed him that keeping in view spreading of coronavirus affects across the country, telemedicine department has been established in KEMU with regard to provision of medical guidance to the general public. Health specialists are providing medical advice to the patients through Skype, landline and WhatsApp and doctors are providing medical advice to the patients from 8am till 3pm.

Fund-raising campaign: As the country continues to fight the deadly corona virus pandemic, an NGO offered its support to the people to control the spread of the disease as well as provide other means of aid, including ration packs distribution.

Keeping in view the need of the hour, BARD Foundation conducted a fund-raising campaign. In collaboration with Shirkat Gah, Alkhidmat Foundation, LUMS, Akhuwat, Saylani Welfare Fund, MRDO, Kiran Foundation and BARD Foundation fed more than 4,500 families, including minority communities, distributed PPE among frontline soldiers in various hospitals.