- Sharif says Punjab govt has provided funds of billions of rupees for improvement of public health facilities in province
Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said that the provision of quality healthcare to people is the mission of his government and the biggest budget in the history of the province has been allocated for the health sector.
Addressing a high-level meeting on Thursday, the chief minister said that all-out resources would be provided for ensuring quality public health facilities in the province.
He said there was a need to work with national spirit for ensuring quality health facilities in hospitals as well as basic and rural health centres as service to ailing humanity was also a form of worship.
Sharif said that the Punjab government had provided funds of billions of rupees for the improvement of public health facilities in the province. He also said that due to effective monitoring system and the steps taken by the government, immunisation coverage had substantially improved. He however added that there was a need to make continuous efforts so that no child remained deprived of vaccination.
The chief minister directed that besides urban areas, immunisation campaign should also be continued in rural areas, and provision of free medicines be ensured in rural and basic health centres while due attention be paid to the attendance of the staff.
Sharif said that achievement of the targets fixed under the Punjab Health Reforms Roadmap should be ensured at any cost. He further said that a third party audit of the measures taken for improvement of public health facilities was also being conducted as it provided correct data which helped in evolving future strategy.
The chief minister said that the first and latest model drug testing laboratory of the country had been set up in Lahore while similar labs would also be established in Faisalabad, Multan, Bahawalpur and Rawalpindi. He said that establishment of model drug testing laboratory would help eliminate spurious and substandard medicines. He also said that the elements involved in heinous trade of spurious and substandard medicines were enemies of humanity and deserved no leniency.
The chief minister said that there was a need to work on war-footing for the provision of best and quality treatment facilities to the masses, adding that implementation of the Punjab Health Reforms Roadmap had resulted in substantial improvement in the situation and availability of necessary medicines in basic and rural health centres had also improved. He however added that a lot of work was still to be done. He said that concerned institutions would have to make collective efforts for the provision of modern health facilities in hospitals as well as basic and rural health centres.
Speaking on the occasion, representative of British Department for International Development (DFID) Ben French said that revolutionary steps had been taken by the Punjab government under the leadership of CM Sharif for the improvement of health sector.
The meeting also reviewed third party audit report with regards to the measures taken in ten districts of the province for provision of quality public health facilities and expressed its satisfaction in this regard.
Minister for Finance Dr Ayesha Ghaus Pasha, Chief Secretary Khizar Hayat Gondal, the secretaries of Finance, Specialized Health and Medical Education, Primary and Secondary Health and medical experts were present at the meeting.
