Lahore - The Punjab Health Foundation (PHF) will unveil its plan on Sunday (today) to generate 100,000 jobs for doctors and allied health professionals by financing 45 new health initiatives in rural and underprivileged areas.
The jobs will be created through the public private partnership model that would not burden the public sector.
The initiative will require Rs32 billion government grant for total loan disbursement of Rs42 billion in five years.
The foundation is in the process of developing an Entrepreneur Development and Counseling Cell where the business proposals of prospective health entrepreneurs will be analyzed and counseled by business analysts and subject specialists to make their business proposal more viable.
This initiative will provide effective, accessible and responsive health facilities to help the government reduce health expenditures and a vital step to actively assist and promote the private sector in providing better, broader and gross root health cover to marginalized communities with enhancement of enterprise development skills.
To materialize the purpose, an Entrepreneur Development & Counseling Cell (EDCC) will be established. The cell will create self-employment and job opportunities in the health sector, create awareness about the availability of services of allied health professions and to reduce quackery and broaden health services both urban and rural areas of Punjab by inducting new schemes for interest-free financing.
The applicants shall prepare their business plans which shall be submitted to EDCC for evaluation and approval.
Analysis of OPD data in major tertiary care hospitals suggests that 80pc of patients who have basic ailments come without basic screening due to poor structure of General Physicians/ Family Physicians in Punjab. Family Physician Support Program will be introduced to strengthen this lacuna.
Under the Telemedicine Entrepreneur Financing Program, the teleservice will allow the public to consult with the top medical and healthcare experts.
Keeping in view the importance of dental health and treatment, the PHF intends to fund dental clinics in urban and rural areas.
As per the data, there is one dentist for 0.5million population and 341 posts of the dentists are vacant.
Under Supporting Homecare Medical Services & Homecare Assistants financing for establishing homecare clinics will be up to 0.70 million with 10-15 employees.
The foundation will finance up to and Rs 3 m for Medical Equipment Sales Entrepreneurs for surgical equipment with a payback period of five years.
More than 177,000 children died every year in Pakistan before their fifth birthday because of malnourishment in them or their mothers. An immediate establishment of the dieticians’ clinics is required so that issue of childhood stunting, childhood obesity, anemia among women and diet-related diseases could be addressed. PH will give loan up to one million to establish Dietitians and Nutritionists Clinics.
Under the Medical Transcription Support Program, doctor’s audio reports will be transcribed and exporting the date back to the medical facility. To establish such center loan up to one million will be available.
Increasing diabetes continues unabated and a prompt care is needed to treat this. The PHF will finance up to one million per clinic to set up Specialized Diabetic Care Centers that would employ 5-7 professionals.
Life expectancy in Pakistan for women is 67 years as compared to 73 in Bangladesh and 78 in Thailand. The maternal mortality rate in Pakistan is 170 per 100000 live births in contrast to 30 in Sri Lanka and 20 in Thailand. The reason behind the poor condition of Pakistan is its poor health fitness facilities. The foundation will fund up to one million to establish Fitness and Wellness Clinics will engage 6-8 people including doctors, coaches, nutritionists, herbalists, massagers, and physiotherapists.
Keeping importance of the home-based care, the PHF will help support establishing such care services for caregivers. They will enable patients to receive care at home, take medicine consistently and correctly and help in a timely referral of cases for diagnostics and treatment. The PHF will finance Respite Care Services for Caregivers.
To deal with behavioral changes therapy and fixing depression, anxiety, phobias and post-traumatic stress disorder NGOs working on Behavioral Change will be financed. Rs 2.5m will be earmarked to establish such a facility.
Moreover, the PHF will also finance up to Rs 0.50m for the promotion of services by the Midwives and LHVs, financing First Aid Training/Kits Entrepreneurs up to Rs 0.50m, supporting up to Rs 2.50 m for Hearing Aid Dispensaries and Audiologist Clinics, funding up to 1.5m to accommodate IT Professionals for Health Information Systems and
Moreover, the PHF will fund establish Online Medical Centers, Weight Loss Clinics, Drug Treatment and Rehabilitation Clinics, Psychologist and Stress Management Clinics, Psychiatrist Clinics, Alternate Medicine Entrepreneurs, Hakims, Traditional Medicines and Herbalists, Homeopathic Doctors, Physiotherapists and Occupational Therapy Centers, Dermatologist for Skin and Beauty Clinics, Establishing and Upgradation of Gynae Clinics, Optometrists, Upgrading Medical Laboratories, Health Related Shows and YouTube Producers, Medical Journals & Publications, Orthopedic Supply Store Entrepreneurs, Medical Bookstore Owners, Speech Therapists, Speech Language Pathologist centers, Medical Waste Disposal Providers/ Entrepreneurs.
Moreover, the foundation will also finance to establish Medical Cleaning Business Ventures, Behavioral Therapy Clinics, Specialized and Non-Emergency Medical Transportation Providers, Ambulance Services in Sub-Urban and Rural Areas, Medical Education in Post Graduate Studies.
PHF MD Ajmal Bhatti said that the recovery of the foundation funds was more than 95 pc. He was of the view that the foundation would revolutionize in the field of health care services.