GUJRANWALA-The doctors and administration must act proactively to cater for the healthcare needs of the public as the Punjab government has increased the budget for healthcare manifold.
Federal Minister for Commerce and Trade Engineer Khurram Dastgir Khan stated during a surprise visit to DHQ Hospital here on Friday. Mr Dastgir went around different wards and enquired about the health of patients. He also enquired from the patients about the medical facilities being provided at the hospital.
While talking to the doctors and hospital administration, the federal minister stressed the need for improving healthcare delivery at the hospital. “If doctors could not spare themselves to address grievances of the patients, they should ‘burn’ their degrees,” he pointed out, adding that the government is providing a huge budget for health sector and wants better results. He said that the Punjab government has increased the medical budget for DHQ Hospital Gujranwala from Rs30 million to Rs250 million which is in fact a great increase and this increase would be helpful to provide free medicines to more and more patients.
DHQ Hospital MS Dr Anwar Aman, Dr Gulzar, Prof Nasir Zaidi, Dr Sohail Anjam, Dr Nidrat Sohail, Dr Robina Anwar, Dr Farhana Bashir, Akhlaq Ahmed Butt and others were also present on the occasion.
Later, the minister also visited the under-construction teaching hospital building and directed the contractor and the concerned officers to ensure early completion of the building.
On the other hand, sources informed that prior to the minister visit, there were two patients on each bed in the Gynaecology Ward of the hospital.
“However, as the federal minister reached the DHQ hospital, the administration tactfully ‘pushed out’ some patients along their newly-born babies and attendants from Gynaecology Ward to cover up their inefficiency and indifference,” the sources claimed, adding that later everything in the hospital, especially in the gynae ward was as usual.