District Hospitals: CPSP to help set up specialists cover

Rawalpindi

After a meeting of a delegation of College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan with Punjab Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif, the CPSP has started working on helping government in establishing specialists cover at district level primarily in selective districts of the province.

The delegation, CPSP led by its President Professor Zafar Ullah Khan and comprising of its members Vice President Dr. Khalid Masood Gondal, Councilor and Controller Examinations Professor Dr. M Shoaib Shafi, Professor Mehmood Ayaz and Professor Aamer Zaman, had a meeting with the Punjab CM in this regard. The CM’s Advisor on Health Khawaja Salman Rafique and Secretary Health Punjab were also present in the meeting.

In the meeting, Mian Shahbaz Sharif asked the CPSP team to help the government in development of healthcare facilities at district level and requested the CPSP delegation to facilitate appointment of Postgraduate Trainees in rotation at district hospitals.

The CPSP president requested the CM to create new jobs for specialist doctors in minor specialties and CPSP will facilitate them. The chief minister appreciated the role of CPSP in medical education and patient care and showed interest in establishing specialty of Emergency Medicine at tertiary care hospitals as proposed by Professor Shoaib Shafi.

The CPSP team also discussed creation of more specialty based jobs in tertiary care hospitals with the CM who directed formation of a high level committee for development of emergency medicine specialty in Punjab.

It is important that CPSP which is the highest degree awarding institution in Pakistan in post-graduate medical education in as many as 73 disciplines was established 54 years back under the act of parliament. The CPSP is an autonomous body that covers nearly 95 per cent of the total specialists in medical profession in Pakistan.

Talking to ‘The News’, Professor Shafi said it has been decided that the CPSP would appoint PGTs in rotation at district hospitals and initially the step would be taken in four districts including Attock, Sheikhupura, Nankana Sahib and Okara to strengthen specialists cover at district hospitals.

He added the CPSP discussed creation of more seats in tertiary care hospitals in relatively newer specialties including Emergency Medicine, Plastic Surgery, Vascular Surgery, Endocrinology, Infectious Diseases, Rheumatology and Critical Care Medicine with the CM.