Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif presided over a meeting here on Wednesday to review strategy to ensure the best possible medical facilities at emergency wards of DHQ and THQ hospitals and decided to award a special package for doctors working in emergency wards.
The primary and secondary health secretary briefed the meeting on the matter.
Addressing the meeting, the chief minister said all-out resources would be utilised to achieve that providing the best possible healthcare facilities to the people.
He directed the authorities to work on a war-footing to further improve the health facilities at THQs and DHQs and said that well-educated and skilled human resources would be recruited to revamp the medical facilities at hospitals.
The chief minister said that the modernization of 40 THQs and DHQs would be completed by the end of June and special incentives would be given to doctors and consultants working at emergency wards of government hospitals. The modernisation includes CT scan machines for all DHQs.
The chief minister said that he would ensure the provision all resources in order to facilitate the commons at any cost.
Shehbaz Sharif said that the final recommendations for emergency wards would be presented in a few days, adding that the government was determined to resolve health woes of the people with determination, hard work, and passion.
Provincial Ministers Khawaja Salman Rafique, Khawaja Imran Nazir, the additional chief sSecretary, specialized medical education secretary, and other relevant officers were also present on the occasion.
Cabinet committee on health sector reforms meets
Meanwhile, Punjab Minister for Specialized Healthcare and Medical Education Khawaja Salman Rafique presided over a meeting of the cabinet committee on health sector reforms at Civil Secretariat here on Wednesday.
Various important matters of both the health departments came under discussion during the meeting. King Edward Medical University Vice Chancellor Faisal Masoud presented recommendations for starting the clinical pharmacy care and sterile preparations programme.
The meeting also discussed the policy of sanctioning extraordinary leave (EOL) to the MOs/WMOs selected by Punjab Public Service Commission (PPSC). The primary and secondary healthcare secretary presented a plan for revamping of the chief drug controller office and restructuring of the drug wing.
The meeting decided to give a special pay package for doctors recruited on contract basis for remote areas and to remove the age limits for these doctors.
Retired doctors from the health department will also be able to apply for fill vacant posts in the hospitals of remote and far flung areas.
The meeting also decided to grant special incentives to the drug inspectors under the restructuring of drug wing to improve their performance and encourage them to play an effective role in curbing the menace of spurious and substandard drugs.
Specialized Healthcare & Medical Education Secretary Najam Ahmad Shah informed the meeting that the government is paying approximately 70,000 rupees per month to postgraduate (PG) trainee doctors and all slots of postgraduate residents (PGRs) have been made paid slots.
Minister for Primary and Secondary Health Khawaja Imran Nazir, Additional Chief Secretary Shamayel Ahmad Khawaja, the population welfare secretary, the Punjab Information Technology Board director general, and officers from planning and development, finance, regulations, and health departments also attended the meeting.