Infrastructure development: 40 DHQ, THQ hospitals to be revamped by 2017, says Khawaja Salman

Health adviser urges medical superintendents to improve facilities

LAHORE: The revamping of 40 District Headquarters (DHQ) and Tehsil Headquarters (THQ) hospitals will be completed by June, 2017, said Chief Minister’s Adviser on Health Khawaja Salman Rafique.

He was addressing a one-day seminar of medial superintendents from DHQ and THQ hospitals at the Directorate General Health Services on Sunday.

Explaining the revamping plan, he also stressed on improving the medical facilities. “Administrative doctors will have to improve their performances and fulfil their duties with more zeal and zest,” he said, adding that the government had empowered medical superintendents by providing them with financial and administrative powers.

“Now, it is your responsibility to run the hospital efficiently.”

The adviser pointed out that a number of medical superintendents had not been making rounds in several areas of the hospitals leaving them unattended.

He directed them to regularly check the systems. While, Primary and Secondary Health Secretary Ali Jan Khan informed the audience that horticulture was also a main component of the revamping plan.

Moreover, Minimum Service Delivery Standard (MSDS) have been prepared in collaboration with Punjab Healthcare Commission (PHC) for a mandatory training of the staff. He said that after enforcing the MSDS, the PHC would issue certificates to all hospitals.

“Janitorial services, security, laundry, mechanical, electrical and plumbing wings would be outsourced,” he said.

The health secretary further said that a physiotherapy unit and dental unit and a CT scan machine would be provided in every DHQ hospital and old equipment, if required, would be replaced, adding that all medical records would be computerised.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 24^th, 2016.