Health institution: Rs400m revolving fund for foundation

Endowment fund to be set up with Rs500m

LAHORE: The provincial government will set up a revolving Rs400 million fund and an Rs500 million endowment fund for the Punjab Health Foundation. The fund will be increased every year.

This was stated by Specialised Healthcare and Medical Education Secretary Najam Ahmed Shah on Friday.

He said the system under which doctors were issued loans would be revamped. Loan would be issued in Rs700,000, Rs2.5 million and Rs100 million categories.

Earlier, the meeting decided that loans should also be issued under the scheme to health sector NGOs and allied health professionals. The secretary directed officials concerned to prepare a working paper for the purpose. He said if needed the Provincial Assembly would be requested to make amendments to the PHF Act.

He said the PHF would soon be transformed into a welfare institution. He said the foundation would extend loans to doctors and other stakeholders in the health sector for establishment of health facilities dedicated to serving income-poor households.

The secretary said at a later stage the chief minister would be approached for more funds for the PHF. This would allow the foundation to issue bigger loans for the establishment of diagnostic centres.

Shah said that the Punjab Healthcare Commission should be taken on board for issuance of loans to doctors registered with it.

Dr Sohail Saqlain told the meeting new mechanisms would be put in place for quicker processing and disbursement of loans. He said these loans would help fund provision of low-cost healthcare services regulated through the Punjab Healthcare Commission and Pakistan Medical and Dental Council standards.

The Akhuwat Foundation chairman was also present on the occasion. He suggested that doctors serving at public sector hospitals should also be considered for provision of loans. This would let doctors not getting non-practicing allowance to benefit from the scheme and set up their own clinics. Separately, a meeting on Friday decided to introduce a pilot project under which patients could be referred from Children Hospital to the paediatric wards at Mayo Hospital, Jinnah Hospital, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital and General Hospital and selected private hospitals in the city.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 3^rd, 2016.