LAHORE - The Punjab Health Department has decided to regularise as many as three thousand nurses presently working on contract basis.
Speaking at a ceremony held at Lahore General Hospital on Friday to award a nurse for serving injured of Defence blast, Nursing Director General Kousar Perveen said that the department has completed necessary formalities and a summary would be forwarded to Punjab Chief Minister soon.
AMS Dr Shabnam Gulzar, Deputy Chief Nursing Superintendent Farhat Mahboob, Nursing Director Sajida Zahoor, Razia Bano and a large number of nurses attended the ceremony.
Kousar Perveen said that the government has adopted the policy to give confidence to employees whether they were permanent or working on contract. She said that a group of 20 nurses has been sent to Turkey for training.
Farhat Mahboob said that Turk Health Department was much impressed by the talent of Pakistani nurses and they gave commendatory certificates on completion of training.
PROVINCES URGED TO FOLLOW PUNJAB MODEL
Other provinces must benefit from the experiences of the Punjab Healthcare Commission, and its model must be replicated in the federating units to provide better healthcare facilities, members of the Senate Standing Committee on Devolution observed at a meeting held at the Punjab Civil Secretariat on Friday with its chairperson Mir Kabeer Ahmed Muhammad Shahi in the chair.
Senators Col (r) Syed Tahir Hussain Mashhadi, Taj Haider, Muhammad Usman Khan Kakar, and Atta-ur-Rehman attended the meeting which was held to review the devolution process of different sectors. The senators appreciated the Commission for its work, and hoped that the standard of the healthcare provision would improve since the PHC was working in the right direction for the Minimum Service Delivery Standards implementation.
Chief Operating Officer Dr Muhammad Ajmal Khan gave a detailed briefing about the PHC working, mandate, jurisdiction, governance structure, success, and challenges. He also mentioned that the PHC had offered to extend every possible help to the commissions of Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The PHC model had been immensely helpful in regulating the public and private healthcare establishments by promoting a culture of clinical governance, he added.
Dr Ajmal gave an overview of the facilitative approach for the implementation of the MSDS, and trainings held in this regard. The Committee was also informed about the anti-quackery campaign and steps taken for the eradication of the menace.
MEETING ON HEALTH
Minister for Specialized Healthcare & Medical Education Kh Salman Rafiq chaired a meeting of Cabinet Committee on Health Sector Reforms at Civil Secretariat on Friday.
Additional Chief Secretary Shamail Ahmad Khawaja, Secretary Primary & Secondary Health Ali Jan Khan, Special Secretary Specialized Healthcare & Medical Education Dr Sajid Mahmood Chauhan, Director General Infrastructure Development Authority (IDAP) Mujahid Sherdil, Member Health P&D Dr Shabana Haider, Vice Chancellor University of Health Sciences Prof Junaid Sarfraz Khan, VC Fatima Jinnah Medical University Prof Sardar Fakhar Imam, Secretary Population Welfare Department and officers of both the Health Departments attended the meeting.
The meeting reviewed the progress on appointment of Chief Executive Officers of District Health Authorities in all the districts, revamping of Jinnah Hospital and funding for procurement of medical equipment for Pakistan Kidney & Liver Institute (PKLI) and setting up of Central Lab of BTA.
Shamail Ahmed Khawaja directed preparing working paper and roadmap for establishing central lab.
Mujahid Sherdil of IDAP informed that bids for architectural designing and consultancy for revamping of Jinnah Hospital have been received. It was informed that construction work on PKLI was being carried out on fast track.
It was informed that medical equipment/machinery of Rs4 billion would be procured for PKLI for which various multinational companies have expressed their interest.
