Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif presided over a high level meeting on Monday which reviewed the problems and difficulties faced by the patients which came to his notice during his visit to General Hospital on Sunday.
The chief minister while taking action over delay in operations, poor sanitary arrangements, dirty bed sheets, uncovered switch board of electricity, poor state of washrooms and non- wearing of overall by the doctor on duty issued orders for immediate suspension of medical superintendent General Hospital, duty AMS and the doctor who was not wearing the overall. He also ordered transfer of principal Postgraduate Medical Institute (PMI).
Addressing the meeting, the chief minister said that he was shocked at the lack of medical facilities provided to patients. He said that it is the basic responsibility of hospital administration to spare no effort in the service of ailing humanity but it is lamentable that proper treatment facilities are not available to poor patients in a medical institution like General Hospital.
He said that there is no justification for delay in operations of poor patients, and added that had these patients been well-to-do their operations would have been carried out timely and all medical facilities would also have been available to them. He said that delay in operations of poor patients in a hospital is injustice and cannot be tolerated.
Shehbaz Sharif said that those who are negligent and do not have the spirit of service to ailing humanity have no right to stay on their posts. He said that service to the people is his mission and he will fulfill at any cost.
He said that sanitary conditions in General Hospital were poor, bathroom were dirty, soap was not available and bed sheets were unclean despite the fact that there were thousands of bed sheets in the stock. He said that improvement in sanitary conditions in the hospital and ensuring cleanliness of walls is the responsibility of hospital administration. He said that if hospital administration cannot ensure discipline and proper cleanliness arrangements, those responsible have no right to stay on their posts.
The chief minister announced emergency for construction and repair of washrooms of hospitals, supply of water and provision of clean bed sheets and issued instructions that commissioners and districts coordination officers should undertake visits to teaching hospitals as well like district and tehsil headquarters hospitals.
The chief minister expressed strong indignation over negligence and dereliction of duty and said that this situation will not be tolerated in Punjab. He said that had there been an effective check and balance and the officers concerned performed their duties efficiently, the situation would have been different.