A high-level joint consultative forum has been constituted by the Armed Forces Medical Service and Punjab Healthcare Commission for the capacity assessment, regular trainings, bilateral visits, mutual learning and knowledge sharing. This is an 8-member forum comprising quality assurance experts with equal representation from both organisations, which have mutually agreed to nurture collaboration for improvement in quality of the healthcare service delivery. Chief Operating Officer of PHC Dr Muhammad Ajmal Khan gave a presentation on the background, mandate, jurisdiction, regulatory functions, processes, and quality assurance activities of the Commission here at the CMH Lahore Medical College to participants of the MSc Medical Administration Course. The batch of 40 officers was led by Commandant Armed Forces Post-Graduate Medical Institute (AFPGMI) Major General Ammar Raza. Dr Muhammad Ajmal Khan reiterated that the PHC was committed to working jointly with the armed forces for better patient care in their respective domains through improvement in the quality of healthcare services.–Staff Reporter
Ganga Ram Hospital Gynaecology Block extension opens
Minister for Specialised Healthcare and Medical Education Kh Salman Rafiq inaugurated extension of newly-constructed gynaecology block at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital on Wednesday. The new block comprises 40-beds ward, postnatal ward, CTG/ultrasound room, induction room, two labour rooms, nursery, minor procedures theatre, sterilisation room and offices of doctors and nurses. Fatima Jinnah Medical University Vice Chancellor Prof Khalid Masood Gondal said that new facility would distribute the workload of gynecology department. He said that the extension block was part of up-gradation plan of Sir Ganga Ram Hospital. Meanwhile, Kh Salman Rafiq chaired meeting of syndicate of FJMU. VC Prof Khalid Masood Gondal, Dr Amjad Saqib, members of syndicate and medical superintendents of Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Government Shahdara Teaching Hospital and Government Mozang Hospital attended the meeting. The meeting reviewed different administrative and financial matters.–Staff Reporter
He maintained that the PHC was committed to making available all its academic, intellectual and experiential resources to the armed forces in case any assistance was needed, and the Commission would also like to adopt the monitoring and quality assurance framework, implemented at the armed forces health institutions, to incorporate it in the service delivery standards of the institutions falling under its purview.
The COO proposed mutual learning, sharing of knowledge and experience in the fields of clinical governance, quality assurance, capacity assessment of the health managers and practitioners, bilateral visits of healthcare facilities to witness on-ground implementation of the initiatives, and capacity-building in the healthcare service delivery, including regular training sessions, training, research and development. The COO pointed out the conspicuous absence of the national and international regulatory frameworks as nothing was structured for regulating the health service delivery prior to the inception of the Commission, which was institutionalised to bring all the healthcare establishments under the ambit of law. “The Punjab was the first province to establish the PHC, while other provinces, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Islamabad Capital Authority are in the process of replicating the Commission,” he added, while maintaining that the regulatory health service arrangement of the PHC was one in 29 countries of the world. He talked at length about the PHC’s initiatives in quality assurance, minimum service delivery standards (MSDS), licensing and accreditation, complaint management and anti-quackery. He mentioned that the PHC had registered and licensed more than 38,000 and 23,000 HCEs respectively besides carrying out inspections of about 9,300 establishments. The Commission had taken action against more than 6,000 quacks, and imposed a fine of about Rs49 million. Also, more than 34,000 healthcare establishments had been registered with the PHC, and approximately 19,000 HCEs had been issued licences. He also said that the Commission had developed the MSDS for different types of HCEs, which had been done for the first time in this region.