Maryam committed to making healthcare accessible to every Punjab citizen
Pakistan
Chief minister chairs a meeting on reforms in health sector
LAHORE (Dunya News) – Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has reaffirmed her commitment to making healthcare accessible to every citizen in Punjab.
Chairing a meeting on reforms in the health sector, the chief minister instructed that construction and repairs of health centres must be completed by March this year.
During the meeting, it was decided that mandatory biometric attendance in health centres, tehsil and district hospitals would be implemented.
The meeting decided to establish thalassemia centres in district headquarters hospitals and link district thalassemia centres with regional blood centres.
The chief minister ordered the establishment of well-women clinics in each district hospital, with mammography services provided on a rotational basis across districts.
Maryam also directed the prompt activation of laparoscopy and endoscopy services in hospitals.
The meeting finalised plans to build a state-of-the-art hospital in Rajanpur, introduce Tesla MRI machines through outsourcing in Sheikhupura and Bahawalnagar, as well as proposals to provide ventilators and trained staff at tehsil headquarters hospitals.
Maryam mandated a 100 percent free supply of medicines in health centres and improvements in the medicine supply chain.
Other decisions included the activation of selected rural health centres (RHCs) as hospitals, biannual third-party audits in the health department and training programmes for public health technicians, lady health visitors and other staff members.
It was announced during the meeting that 24-hour services would be made available in 200 primary health centres across Punjab by March.
Additionally, 717 health nutrition supervisors would receive training and specialists like anesthesiologists, pediatricians, and cardiologists would visit remote hospitals weekly. Outsourced CT scan and pathology services were also planned.
Maryam underscored the need for specialised human resources in hospitals and advocated for healthcare services to be brought directly to people's homes.
She also stressed the importance of adopting laparoscopic surgeries in government hospitals and addressing governance issues that have affected all sectors, including healthcare, over the past four years.
