Minister approves new task force for PMHA

LAHORE:Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid has approved the appointment of new task force for Punjab Mental Health Authority (PMHA).

Addressing a meeting of Specialised Healthcare and Medical Education Department here Tuesday, the minister approved the appointment of the new task force and directed the officials to expand services of mental health to community level.

The minister said the registration of patients suffering from mental illnesses was a key milestone. The offices of Board of Visitors must be set up at divisional level. There is dire need to create awareness in society about mental illnesses and their treatment, she said adding a separate helpline for information and registration would be set up. The Punjab Mental Health Authority Act will be revised. Clinical Psychologist must be included in the Board of Visitors. The capacity and performance of Punjab Mental Health Authority is being increased, the minister concluded. Additional Secretary (Technical) SHME Department Dr Salman Shahid, PSH Additional Secretary, Punjab Institute of Mental Health Executive Director Dr Ashraf and others attended the meeting.

Sehat Insaf Card: Dr Yasmin Rashid has reviewed arrangements to scale up services of Sehat Insaf Cards programme. She was addressing a meeting at Specialised Healthcare and Medical Education Department here Tuesday. Secretary Specialised Healthcare and Medical Education Department Barrister Nabeel Awan, GM Punjab Health Initiatives Management Company, Khurram Lodhi, manager Hasnaat Ahmed, Deputy Manager Anas Bin Mahmood and Professor Javed Chaudhry were present in the meeting. Secretary Specialised Healthcare & Medical Education Department Barrister Nabeel Awan shared fresh proposals. The minister said the target of universal health coverage would be achieved as per vision of PM Imran Khan hinting coverage of over 10 million families. The minister said that the beneficiaries of the cards would be expanded to include widows, Zakat beneficiaries and deserving families. In the next stage, over one million government servants will be given the facility, she said adding the cardholders can avail health services from different hospitals, including cardiology institutes in Punjab. The programme is being appreciated everywhere. Provision of cards to people living below the poverty line is the vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan, she concluded.

TB screening: A TB screening programme has been formally launched at Lahore General Hospital (LGH). Inaugurating a mobile X-ray unit and laboratory for TB patients, Principal Post Graduate Medical Institute Prof Dr Al-freed Zafar said X-ray and sputum tests of TB patients would be conducted at the LGH from 8am to 4pm which will be free while launching a tuberculosis diagnosis and treatment programme will further enhance modern facilities for patients.

LGH MS Dr Abdul Razzaq, Prof Dr Muhammad Moin, Dr Javed Magsi, Dr Irfan Malik and other doctors were present.

Talking to the media, Prof Al-freed Zafar said TB treatment has to be continued for a long time while majority of patients leave the treatment incomplete due to which TB disease become worsened.