LAHORE – The Punjab Health Department ‘tried’ to overcome the financial constraint by reducing non-development expenditure, and despite financial crunch, services delivery system was not affected and special attention was being paid to provide medical facilities to the people, Punjab Health Secretary Fawad Hassan Fawad said on Tuesday.
He expressed these views while talking to a delegation of Asian Development Bank (ADB) Review Mission at the Civil Secretariat. Yasim Elahan Kayalar, Jose Antonio Tan and other members were present in this meeting. Special Health Secretary Waseem Mukhtar, Additional Secretary Development Usam Mozam and other senior officers of the department were also present. The meeting reviewed the progress on the Punjab Resource Management Programme.
The health secretary said that the government tried to save the health services delivery system from the negative impact of the worst ever flood of the history and other financial constraints. Fawad informed that the targets of Medium Term Budgetary Framework (MTBF) and Medium Term Development Framework were being met satisfactorily in the previous 3 years.
ADB review mission appreciated the recent initiatives taken by the Punjab government for the provision of basic health facilities to the people, including introduction of mobile health units and round the clock functioning of health centres.
Fawad informed that government was focusing on Result Based Management Reforms and special attention was being paid on mother and child health and on other vulnerable segments of the society especially ‘poorer of the poorest’. He informed that the Health Department was introducing computerization of patients’ data as well as services and facilities data computerisation of the hospitals.
It will help consolidate correct information regarding the patients’ requirements which will be helpful for future planning. The system would not only attract the private sector but also donor agencies. ADB review mission lauded the measures taken by the Health Department for the timely provision of health facilities to the millions of flood victims owing to which the health conditions remained under control and epidemics did not erupt in the flood affected areas.
