A meeting was chaired here on Sunday by Specialized Healthcare and Medical Education Secretary Najam Ahmad Shah at the Civil Secretariat.
Turkish experts briefed the secretary regarding their observations of Lahore’s teaching hospitals. They said that in Turkey, separate emergency departments were established with dedicated staff, and recommended the same for local hospitals. They were of the opinion that deployment of a dedicated staff created ownership and a sense of responsibility. The Turks said that separate emergency services departments were essential for Punjab’s teaching hospitals for providing immediate quality healthcare services.
Secretary Health Najam Ahmed Shah agreed with the proposal of the Turkish experts and directed the officers of the department to come up with the short term and long term proposals with the consultation of the Turkish experts for establishing separate emergency departments.
Shah said that close coordination and effective mechanisms between the emergency department and indoor service of the hospitals was vital for shifting patients from the emergency ward for further treatment. He added that the final recommendations must be furnished after receiving the input of all stakeholders immediately.
Turkish experts of medical emergency services Dr Mehmat Akif, Dr Mehmat Ergin, Dr Yousaf Ali Altunsi, Dr Ayhan, Dr Ahmet Altiner, and Dr Felah Attin, Fatima Jinnah Medical University Vice Chancellor Dr Sardar Fakhar Imam, KEMU Prof Junaid Sarfraz Khan, Prof Qazi Saeed, Allama Iqbal Medical College Principal Prof Rashid Zia, PGMI Principal Prof Ghayas un Nabi Tayyab, Health Special Secretary Dr Sajid Chauhan, Mayo Hospital Chief Executive Dr Asad Aslam Khan, Mayo Hospital MS Dr Tahir Khalil, Jinnah Hospital MS Dr Sohail Saqlain, LGH MS Dr Ghulam Sabir, Monitoring Health Department Director Zaheer Iqbal Malik and consultant Dr Haq Nawaz Bharwana also attended the meeting.