LAHORE - Terming the tragic incidents of infants’ death in government hospitals ‘intolerable’, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has said that it is an act of criminal negligence that deserves no leniency.
Presiding over a meeting to review public health facilities in the province on Saturday, the chief minister ordered the police to register cases against the persons responsible for such crime and arrest them immediately, making it an example for others. He also ordered the authorities concerned to take immediate action against the supply of substandard syrup and injections to a hospital in Hafizabad, instructing them to register cases against the factory owners.
Reports of inquiry committees regarding the incidents in Vehari and Sargodha were presented in the meeting which were reviewed in detail. Shahbaz Sharif, after being briefed by his Adviser on Health Kh Salman and senior officials of Health Department, said that no hindrance in the provision of quality health facilities would be tolerated. He added that the culprits could not escape punishment and indiscriminate action would be taken against them as per law.
He further directed the authorities to immediately act upon the shortage of medicines in emergency wards of the hospitals throughout the province.
Shahbaz Sharif also directed the Health Department officials to evolve comprehensive planning for the eradication of such incidents in future and to ensure provision of all necessary facilities in the hospitals.
“Special attention should be paid to the mother and child healthcare and besides improving the management system, existence of effective mechanism of monitoring is utmost essential in the hospitals”, the chief minister held.
He further directed that a programme should be chalked out with regard to providing training to doctors, nurses and paramedical staff according to modern demands and special attention should be paid to the capacity-building of the staff.
He said that steps should be taken to immediately outsource drug testing laboratory and report should be submitted regarding delay in this regard.
Shahbaz stressed that the persons associated with health sector should discharge their duties efficiently and spare no effort in providing best treatment facilities to the people. The CM said that he would himself monitor the steps to be taken for improving public health facilities and directed the Adviser on Health, Chief Secretary, Secretary Health and other concerned officials to visit the hospitals regularly.
Directing the medical experts, doctors, public representatives and senior provincial officials to formulate a comprehensive plan for improving public health facilities, he ordered that final recommendations be submitted within four days so that the ailing humanity could be served in a better manner.