Punjab Minister for Primary & Secondary Health, Khawaja Imran Nazir has said that Health Department is speedily working on to ensure Minimum Service Delivery Standards (MSDS) in the District Headquarter and Tehsil Headquarter Hospitals of Punjab. He further said that good quality medicines are being provided to the patients in the health facilities free of cost. Previously it was a measure dream for a poor patient to get quality medicine from Government hospitals, he added.
He stated this while addressing the signing ceremony of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Primary & Secondary Health Department Punjab and Shifa Foundation / Al-Shifa International. MoU was signed by the Secretary Health Ali Jan Khan and Executive Director Shifa Foundation Trust Syed Faraz Hassan. Additional Secretary Technical Dr. Asim Altaf, Director IRMNCH Dr. Mukhtar Hussain Syed, Medical Superintendent, DHQ Hospital Attock Dr. Sultan, Senior Officers of the department and Members of Shifa Foundation delegation were also attended the ceremony. According to this MoU Shifa Foundation would extend technical cooperation and expertise for the capacity building of doctors and other staff according to the international standards, moreover Shifa Foundation would provide guidelines and evolve a system for accreditation of Joint Commission International (JCI) to DHQ hospital Attock. The foundation would also help prepare guidelines and evolve system for minimum service delivery standards for Primary & Secondary Health Hospitals for which a software would also be prepared. Chairman Shifa Foundation Dr. Manzoor Qazi informed that so far only two hospitals in Pakistan Aga Khan Hospital and Al-Shifa International have JCI accreditation. On this occasion, Secretary Health Ali Jan Khan said that this MoU would helpful to improve the quality of services in government hospitals for bringing them according to international standards. He further said that four districts Headquarter Hospitals Sheikhupura, Attock, Jhang and Hafizabad have fulfilled the MSDS criteria set by Punjab Healthcare Commission and a basic health unit Fatahpur District Kasur have also got the accreditation after meeting the MSDS target. Ali Jan Khan said that in the history of Pakistan, it is first time happened that BHU has got this honour. Ali Jan Khan informed that DHQ Hospital Attock has been selected to develop and upgrade the services / infrastructure for getting JCI certification. Minister Health, Kh. Imran Nazir said that Chief Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif is keen to uplift the Health sector for providing best healthcare services to the people of Punjab for which both the Health department are working day and night and the budget of Primary & Secondary Health has been enhanced from 62 billion to 112 billion rupees.