LAHORE - Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif yesterday vowed to bring to book criminals involved in stents scam. Addressing a meeting on stents scam, the Chief Minister appeared highly furious over the matter.

Chief Minister’s Inspection Team Chairman, who was assigned inquiry into the scandal, presented report to the CM.

Shehbaz found that the health department as well as the Drug Regulatory Authority Pakistan showed negligence their duties with regard to unregistered stents. He ordered comprehensive audit of the hospitals and applauded the administration of Multan Institute of Cardiology and Faisalabad Institute of Cardiology for purchasing registered stents for their patients.

He directed that immediate steps should be taken to improve the efficiency of health department. “We will have to set our house in order first; and in this regard, observance of duty would also have to be ensured. No mafia can be developed when an effective monitoring system is in place,” he said.

The Chief Minister directed that a consensus policy should be implemented with regard to use of stents and only registered stents should be used for patients in the hospitals.

The meeting was informed that the enquiry committee has inspected the purchase of stents in some of the hospitals and the record has been audited. He also informed about the facts arising in the light of the enquiry committee. Kh Salman Rafique and senior officials joined in.

Also, the CM chaired a meeting to review progress on reforms programs of Punjab healthcare system launched in collaboration with health ministry of Turkey.

The meeting expressed satisfaction over speedy implementation of reforms program of health care system. While addressing the meeting, the CM Sharif said that cooperation provided by Turkey to improve health care system would bear positive results. Turkey has best health care system which has ensured quality health care services to the patients. He said that medicine supply chain management system has been launched in collaboration with Turkey.

The Turkish model would be reviewed for the construction of the new hospitals under public private partnership in the Punjab and instructions have been issued for the identification of state land for constructions of new hospitals.

He said that the Punjab government has decided to expand Prime Minister’s National Health Insurance Programme to the whole of the province, and the government has started implementing comprehensive reforms programme in health sector. He said the medicine samples would be got checked through Turkish laboratories for the provision of quality medicines.

“We are thankful to Turkey for their training of nurses. Service to humanity is a great job and we should speedily move forward without wasting any time to heal the wounds of ailing humanity,” he added.

 Director General for European Union and International Relations Dr Oner Gunar assured that speedy implementation  on reforms programme in health sector would be ensured in accordance with the vision of CM Shehbaz. Turkish DG Health Dr Oner Gunar also attended the meeting.

 

 

 

Separately in a meeting, Punjab Chief Minister told Ambassador of Afghanistan to Pakistan Hazrat Omar Zakhilwal that that terrorism and extremism need joint fight.

He said that Pakistan and Afghanistan are united in journey of peace which is a pre-requisite for the region. Peace in Afghanistan is as desirable as in Pakistan, he told the Afghan envoy who called him.

 

During the meeting, different matters of mutual interest, including promotion of bilateral relations and extension in cooperation in different sectors, were also discussed. President of England and Wales Cricket Board Giles Clarke also called on Punjab Chief Shehbaz and discussed the steps required to revive international cricket in Pakistan.