LAHORE: Punjab Specialised Healthcare & Medical Education Secretary Najam Ahmed Shah has said that on the direction of Punjab CM, hepatitis clinics and gastroenterology departments would be established in all teaching hospitals of the province. He said that work has begun on the scheme and in the first phase hepatitis clinic and GI department would be established in 17 tertiary care hospitals by 30th September.
He stated this while presiding over a meeting of Vice Chancellors of Medical Universities, Principals of Medical Colleges and Medical Superintendents of teaching hospitals in his office, on Sunday. Special Secretary Health Dr. Sajid Mehmood Chohan, Additional Secretary Development Irfan Ali Kathia, Additional Secretary Admin Raja Mansoor, Acting Vice Chancellor King Edward Medical University Professor Qazi Saeed, SIMS Principal Hamid Mehmood Butt, Ameer-ud-Din Medical College and LGF Principal Ghaus-un-Nabi Tayyab, Punjab Medical University Faisalabad VC Farid Zafar, Nishtar Medical University VC Mustafa Kamal, Rawalpindi Medical University VC Muhammad Umer, Gujranwala Medical College Principal Aftab Mohsin and principals and medical superintendents of other medical colleges and hospitals attended the meeting.
Secretary Health said that gastroenterology departments would be set in all the teaching hospitals in phases. He further said that treatment facilities for liver diseases could be provided in all the hospitals and state-of-the-art gastroenterology departments would be set up in south central and northern Punjab. Najam Ahmed Shah further said that Punjab government is setting up a state-of-the-art institution at the cost of Rs 20 billion for the treatment and transplantation of kidney as well as liver. He said that Sheikh Zayed Hospital is also providing liver transplantation facility and government has provided 400 million rupees to the hospital.
Secretary Health was of the view that there was a need to set up an institution which compiles all the education and research work of the senior medical teachers to acknowledge their services and for the guidance of new teachers and medical students. Professor Ghaus-un-Nabi Tayyab informed that by 2018, gastroenterology departments and hepatitis clinics would be functional in all the hospitals. A Project Management Unit (PMU) has been established for this purpose; The PMU would coordinate and monitor all the process and initiatives being taken for the establishment of hepatitis clinics and gastroenterology departments in the teaching hospitals for timely completion of set targets.