MULTAN - Punjab Healthcare Commission (PHC) is gearing up to inspect all the public and private sector healthcare facilities in South Punjab to see if the level of facilities match the standards and meet PHC’s prescribed indicators.
Directions to this effect were issued in a meeting jointly chaired by Additional Chief Secretary South Punjab Captain (Retd) Saqib Zafar and CEO Punjab Healthcare Commission Dr Muhammad Saqib Aziz. A grand operation will also be launched against quackery by joint teams of District Health Authorities and Punjab Health Care Commission, says an official release.
Addressing the meeting, ACS Saqib Zafar said that access to quality healthcare facility was the right of every citizen and warned that quackery cannot be allowed to play havoc with the health of the people.
CEO PHC Muhammad Saqib Aziz said that PHC is a regulatory authority with the power to take action against unregistered health institutions and quacks. He informed that total 53000 health care providers existed in Punjab. He added that 738 out of 916 government health care providers in South Punjab were registered. CEO PHC said that the commission has sealed more than 36000 illegal clinics including 3643 quack clinics in Multan division and 2384 in Bahawalpur division.
Additional chief secretary south Punjab said that registration of all public and private hospitals and clinics in eleven (11) district of South Punjab will be ensured. He said that medical colleges of South Punjab should conduct workshops to refresh young doctors knowledge about rules of Healthcare Commission. Saqib Zafar said that 254 institutions in South Punjab were providing services through health cards and stressed on checking these facilities to keep standard up to the mark.
Secretary Primary & Secondary health care Tanveer Iqbal Tabasum, Secretary Specialized Healthcare Amjad Shoaib Khan Tareen, DC Multan Amir Karim Khan, Principal DG Khan Medical College Prof. Dr. Muhammad Asif Qureshi, Principal Quaid-e-Azam Medical College Bahawalpur Prof. Dr. Shehzad Anwar, Director Licensing and Accreditation Dr. Noor Janjua and Director Clinical Governance Dr. Mushtaq Ahmed attend the meeting. Principal Sheikh Zaid Medical College Prof. Dr. Tariq Ahmad joined the meeting through video link.
