Adviser to Punjab Chief Minister on Health Khawaja Salman Rafique has said the main objective of bifurcating the Health Department into two separate departments is to bring visible improvement by focusing on the governance and managerial issues.
He said that significant improvement has been observed at primary and secondary level hospitals as the presence of doctors, nurses, availability of medicines, cleanliness issues and functioning of equipment have improved significantly. He said that the consultative conference of experts has been convened to seek recommendations for improving functioning of teaching hospitals.
He said this while addressing a consultative seminar of medical teachers, health experts, health managers, IT experts and notables of different fields to seek recommendations for improving tertiary healthcare and urbanise healthcare at a local hotel.
The seminar was organised by the Policy and Strategic Planning Unit, Health Department. Secretary Specialized Healthcare and Medical Education Najam Ahmad Shah, Head of Chief Minister Special Monitoring Cell Aizaz Akhter, member Health Planning and Development Dr Shabana Haider, officers of both the health departments, principals and medical superintendents of public as well as private sectors medical colleges and the hospitals, officers of Punjab Healthcare Commission, health managers, IT experts, representatives of pharmaceutical industries, Dean IPH, representatives of WHO and other international partners attended the conference.
Rafique said that rapid increase in population has enhanced disease burden manifold, resulting in heavy rush in hospitals. He said that consultative seminar has been convened to get rational and solid recommendations from the experts to improve the working of tertiary care hospitals by introducing reforms in the procurement system of medicines/equipment, availability of medicines, maintenance of medical equipment, capacity-building of human resource, improvement in the quality of healthcare and to resolve the issues of governance in the teaching hospitals. He said that a strategy and work plan will be prepared in the light of recommendations which would be presented by the well-experienced medical teachers and other experts.
He said that health sector development and provision of best healthcare to the people is the passion of Chief Minister Mohammad Shehbaz Sharif and lot of funds are being spent on health sector.
Secretary Health Najam Ahmad Shah urged medical teachers, health managers and the experts of fields concerned and specialties to come up with solid and workable proposals and recommendations in the light of their vast experience and wisdom and present their reports in the field concerned allotted to them so that a strategy and future planning could be evolved to achieve the targets.
