Punjab Primary and Secondary Health Minister Khawaja Imran Nazir has said that for the first time in the history of Punjab, 85 per cent Basic Health Units have been made fully functional by posting of the medical officers.
He was addressing a monthly conference of the Health chief executive officers at the Committee Room of Directorate General Health Services on Sunday.
He said that visible improvement has been witnessed in biometric attendance system at the health facilities which has been reached up to 60 to 100 per cent, it will be further improved.
The minister directed the health chief executive officers to prepare lists of the absent staff and action must be taken against them under the PEEDA Act.
He said that no leniency would be tolerated in this regard. He further directed that all the CEOs should immediately create their whatsapp group in which all the officers should be included for updating themselves regarding any development and immediate transformation of any urgent news to the high-ups.
P&S Health Secretary Ali Jan Khan, Health Services Director General Dr Faisal Zahoor, Punjab Health Facilities Management Company CEO Muhammad Ali Amir, all the additional secretaries of Health, IRMNCH Provincial Director Dr Mukhtiar Hussain, Additional Director Dr Akhtar Rasheed Malik, PSPU Director Muhammad Khan Ranjha, members of chief minister’s Health Roadmap team, representatives of PITB and international development partners attended the meeting.
The meeting was briefed regarding the contingency plan of expected floods in the monsoon season. The meeting was informed about the arrangements for medical relief to the flood affected people, vaccination of children in the flood affected areas.
EPI Director Muhammad Munir advised the CEOs that vaccination against measles and polio must be ensured in the flood-hit areas, as both diseases normally spread very fast in such environment.
Imran Nazir directed that sufficient stock of life saving drugs, provision of drinking water, aquapura tablets, anti-snake venom and anti-rabies vaccine also be made available in all the medical relief camps and the health centres for saving human lives.
Minister Nazir suspended the Mianwali District Health Officer Muhammad Rafique Khan on non-compliance of his orders for arresting a quake who was responsible of deaths of two children suffering from measles. On the direction of the minister, the health secretary immediately issued the notification of suspension of the officer.
The secretary also directed the CEOs to collect data of the officers and the officials according to the key performance indicators for incentive award ceremony in the coming days. He further directed that supply of electricity and drinking water must be ensured in all the DHQ/THQ hospitals and basic health units.
He said that government has provided lot of funds to the said health facilities therefore no excuse for non-availability of such facilities would be accepted. He said that funds are available; therefore, the officers should purchase or get generators on rent to continue the electricity supply to the health facility.
Imran Nazir observed that quackery cannot be eliminated at once from the country but the CEOs should evolve a close monitoring system of quakes and take strict action on their criminal negligence.
He said that there is no hurdle in the renewal of chemists licenses and two years extension in schedule G is being made. He said that concept of non-availability funds at the BHUs and RHCs is finished as Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif has given a blank cheque for the development of health sector. Now it is duty of the field officers of the Health Department to show their performance for the development of health sector.
He directed that rural ambulance service for pregnant women should be made more popular among the rural population for which awareness campaign should also be launched at a local level.
