LAHORE: Punjab Minister for Primary & Secondary Health (P&SH) Khawaja Imran Nazir has directed the deputy district officers Health (DDOsH) to play their active role in eliminating quackery from the province.
Addressing the monthly conference of Health deputy districts officers at a local hotel, the minister said no pressure or influence should be taken while taking action against quacks and sealing their clinics.
“The government is fully backing the officers in this regard,” he said and observed that quacks were a big source of mishandling and aggravating the diseases and patients of dengue, as well as other diseases, had to pay heavy prices for the negligence of quacks.
P&SH Secretary Ali Jan Khan, Director General Dr Munir Ahmed, senior officers of the department and DDOsH from across the province attended the conference.
Khawaja Imran Nazir, at the occasion, further said that Punjab was proud over the success of the EPI Programme that was the result of tireless efforts of the officers and the staff of P&SH department as well as the field officers. Due to the efforts, he said, the routine immunisation coverage in Punjab had crossed 80 per cent.
“However, it can be taken to 100 per cent if the community, especially the parents, cooperate with the teams and take responsibility to provide the basic right to health to their children,” said the minister while urging the parents to spare sometime for their children and get them fully immunised against diseases including polio.
Secretary Health Ali Jan Khan said that the officers should make visits to health facilities in their jurisdiction a routine of their official activities and take immediate steps to remove the gaps identified during their visits.
During the conference, experts also provided necessary instructions and guidelines to the DDOsH for prevention of diseases improving EPI coverage and primary health facilities. The conference also evaluated the performance of the officers.