Health dept evolves policy to pursue uplift projects

LAHORE : The Specialised Healthcare and Medical Education Department (SHC&MED), Punjab, while pursuing the vision of Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar has evolved a vigorous policy to pursue new initiatives and ongoing development programmes during fiscal year 2021- 22.

Flanked by Department’s Additional Secretary Dr Asif Tufail, SHC&MED Secretary Barrister Nabeel Awan, while briefing the media about its development projects on Saturday, said that the department would make hospitals' dysfunctional machinery fully functional after its repair and maintenance and upgrade the existing infrastructure of the teaching hospitals for benefiting the citizens of modern healthcare. He said that in order to provide better medical facilities to cancer patients Linear Accelerator Radio Therapy machines for Mayo and Jinnah hospitals will be purchased, besides purchase of Pet Scan worth Rs 1.5 billion for Nishter Hospital Multan during FY 2021-22.

He said that after 1992 first time in Lahore a mega project of General Hospital comprising 1,000 beds was being executed near Arfa IT Tower which would house 200 beds cardiology centre and 200 beds for patients of blood disease institute, besides availability of medical facilities for general public.

Nabeel Awan said that Nishter Hospital Block-II, DG Khan Cardiology Institute, Emergency in Services Hospital, Emergency Block in DHQ Hospital DG Khan and five mother and child hospitals would be constructed in five districts of the province which would go a long way in provision of modern Healthcare system to the public.

He observed that the Universal Health Insurance programme worth Rs.60 billion would also prove to be a milestone in health sector which would be extended to whole Punjab by the end of December 2021. This revolutionary programme would benefit around 110 million population. In order to resolve public complaints, meter parking system for vehicles would be introduced in three big teaching hospitals in Lahore from the next financial year, he concluded.