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The commission in 2016 had given a three-month deadline to the infirmaries and clinics for improving quality of healthcare facilities
LAHORE: With people continuing to suffer at public sector hospitals due to the authorities’ negligence, and private hospitals as well as clinics lacking quality healthcare facilities, it has been proved that the Punjab Healthcare Commission has failed to uplift hospitals, laboratories and pharma companies of the province to meet modern standards as aimed two years ago.
According to sources, hundreds of thousands of patients visiting the district headquarters hospitals (DHQ) across Punjab have to face a great ordeal owing to the shortage of beds and the minimal strength of doctors. Similarly, neither any reforms have been carried out in the tehsil headquarters hospitals (THQ) nor other healthcare centres of the province.
It is pertinent to mention that the healthcare commission two years ago had asked all of Punjab’s public and private sector healthcare centres including clinics and DHQ hospitals to ensure the provision of quality healthcare facilities, improve the services being provided and uplift their structurally damaged buildings within three months after being declared ineligible to be registered with the commission while failing to keep up with the determined standards. But despite being warned of heavy fines, neither have the worst conditions of the public sector hospitals been improved nor the quality of the healthcare facilities being offered in Punjab’s private hospitals. The production and sale of substandard medicines have also continued regardless of the notices served by the healthcare commission.
Healthcare DG was reached out for a comment, but he was not available.
