Punjab Minister for Primary & Secondary Health Khawaja Imran Nazir has said that Medical Superintendents are the custodian and team leaders of government hospitals who have to lead their doctors, nurses and paramedics staff for providing quality healthcare to the patients and they are responsible to implement government’s decisions and agenda of reforms in the hospitals. The Minister said that revamping of 40 DHQ and THQ hospitals is being carried out fast track and within four months these hospitals would present a new look and different culture.
He said this while addressing the monthly meeting of medical superintendents of 40 DHQ and THQ hospitals where the revamping plan is implemented. Besides Secretary Primary & Secondary Health Ali Jan Khan, Provincial Director IRMNCH Dr. Mukhtar Hussain Syed, Additional Secretaries of the department, officers of Project Management Unit, Director Policy & Strategic Planning Unit and Medical Superintendents of the hospitals attended the meeting.
Kh. Imran Nazir took serious note of the incident in THQ Hospital Gujra in which doctors had mistakenly carried out eye operation of an elderly attendant instead of the patient. The Minister directed the Secretary to hold an inquiry of the incident. Kh. Imran Nazir said that responsibility should be fixed and action should be taken against the responsible doctor. He said that revamping of 40 hospitals in a short period of time is not an easy task but we have to work together with a spirit of humanitarian service to achieve this target. He said that billions of rupees are being spent on the up-gradation, revamping of the hospitals and provision of new equipments. During the meeting necessary instructions have been given to the Medical Superintendents regarding patient safety, infection control and surveillance of operation theaters. It was informed that patient’s record tracking system would also established in each hospital under Health Information Management System. Kh. Imran Nazir while appreciating the decision of bifurcation of Health Department by Chief Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, said that it was a visionary decision of the Chief Minister which has reflected in a good change for health sector development and both the departments are working with more focused approach for the improvement of tertiary as well as primary & secondary health sector. Secretary Ali Jan Khan informed that janitorial services, security, parking, horticulture, landscaping, plumbing, clinical and electric works services in 40 DHQ and THQ Hospitals have been outsourced. He said that provision of missing medical equipments, removing the infrastructural faults of the hospital buildings, the outlook of the hospitals is also being improved for making the hospital environment friendly and pleasant to the visitors. The doctors and paramedics of the said hospital have also been trained by the university of health sciences. He said that all resources would be provided for improving the supply of electricity in the hospitals. He said that requirements of dual electricity supply and transformers would be met for which more than 300 million rupees have been allocated. The meeting reviewed the pace of work in every hospital individually.