Quality healthcare: Rafiq visits hospital to inspect facilities

CM had earlier suspended the Nankana Sahib DCO, Health EDO for poor health facilities at DHQ hospital

LAHORE/BAHAWALPUR: Adviser to Chief Minister on Health Khawaja Salman Rafiq visited the Narowal DHQ Hospital on Monday and Bahawalpur Commissioner Saqib Zafar visited the Bahawal Victoria Hospital on Sunday to check on available health facilities, sanitation measures and other arrangements at the hospitals.

Rafiq’s visit comes a day after the chief minister visited the Nankana DHQ Hospital and made Nankana Sahib DCO, Health EDO and DHQ Hospital medical superintendent OSDs for apparent negligence and poor healthcare services at the hospital.

At the Narowal DHQ Hospital, Rafiq inquired after the health of patients and asked them for feedback on the quality of treatment facilities provided to them. According to a press release, most of the patients there had expressed satisfaction with the arrangements at the hospital. Narowal DCO Rafaqat Ali, Health EDO Tahir Khalil and the medical superintendent accompanied Rafiq on the visit.

Rafiq also inspected the medical store/pharmacy at the hospital and asked about the stock of medicines available for patients. He visited an extension block of the hospital that is under construction and directed the hospital administration to ensure that the project is completed on time.

“The budget announced for health sector in the current fiscal year is the highest it’s ever been,” he said. All DHQ hospitals and 15 THQ hospitals would be upgraded this year and missing facilities would be provided at all hospitals, he said.

During his visit to Bahawal Victoria Hospital on Sunday, Bahawalpur Division Commissioner Saqib Zafar visited the hospital’s pharmacy, operation theatres, the ICU, the Paediatrics Ward; the Departments of Radiology and Nephrology, the Cardiac Care Unit and the Accidents and Emergency Departments.

He directed the authorities concerned to mobilise available resources to ensure the best possible medical coverage to patients.

The commissioner told the hospital administration to file a report on defective and faulty medical equipment and machines at various departments and wards at the hospital.

He spoke to the medical and paramedic staff regarding the treatment of the patients admitted in various wards and visited patients at their beds to inquire about the quality of healthcare and medical treatment provided to them.

The commissioner asked patients about whether they had access to free medicines at the hospital. One of the patients told him that he had had to pay money to buy medicines from another medical store because the hospital pharmacy did not stock the medicines he needed. Zafar then told the hospital administration to reimburse the amount the patient had spent.

He directed the hospital authorities to ensure 100 per cent attendance and presence of medical and paramedic staff.

During his visit, the commissioner also inspected the air-conditioning system at various wards and departments.

The hospital staff told the commissioner that an air-conditioning system was being installed at some wards.

Zafar directed the authorities concerned to expedite the installation process and to complete it in the shortest time possible.

He expressed dissatisfaction over the poor sanitation condition at the hospital and told the hospital staff to take immediate steps to keep the hospital clean.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 28^th, 2016.