LAHORE: Punjab Minister for Specialised Healthcare and Medical Education (SH&ME) Khawaja Salman Rafique has said that Benazir Bhutto Hospital and Holy Family Hospital, Rawalpindi are catering to the patients not only from Rawalpindi but also from Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and adjoining areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).
He said that due to this, the number of patients at times is more than bed capacity of the hospitals.
The minister said that according to the government’s policy, no patient is refused treatment facilities and all these facilities are being provided free of cost. That is why the people of other provinces preferred to approach the hospitals of Punjab for their treatment, he added.
Khawaja Salman Rafique was talking to the Rawalpindi Medical University Vice-Chancellor Professor Muhammad Umer on the telephone to get the details regarding the treatment facilities for the children in the pediatric ward of Benazir Bhutto Hospital.
Dr Muhammad Umer informed the minister that the pediatric ward of Benazir Bhutto Hospital has 102 beds for the patients and 10 additional beds are reserved for mothers of admitted children. However, due to the increase of patients, 20 extra beds have been allocated for the children.
The vice-chancellor was of the view that due to cold weather, seasonal diseases of children increase which increases the patient load.
He said that according to the policy, the patients are being managed in other wards where beds are available whenever needed. The hospital administration is trying its best to accommodate extra load in a befitting manner by providing additional beds, he added.
The VC further said that the doctors and nurses of the hospital are providing best healthcare to these patients.
The minister directed that all the patients should be provided quality healthcare and accommodated properly. He further revealed that government is fully aware of the fact and has taken an initiative to establish a Children Hospital in Rawalpindi, just like Lahore and Multan, which is the need of the time.
Professor Muhammad Umer also informed that the government has approved a scheme for extension of pediatric ward/nursery at Benazir Bhutto Hospital at a cost of Rs140 million.