Punjab witnesses significant improvement in health

Health minister directs CEOs to keep vigilant eye on storekeepers dealing with medicine.

LAHORE: Punjab Primary and Secondary Health Minister Khawaja Imran Nazir has said that significant improvement in the health sector, especially in primary and secondary health, can be seen due to the implementation of Chief Minister’s Health Roadmap Programme.

He stated this while addressing a joint monthly meeting of Health Chief Executive Officers, Preventive District Officers and Integrated, Reproductive, Mother, New Born Child Health and Nutrition Programme (IRMNCH) District Coordinators at a local hotel on Sunday.



Nazir said that we had to perform our duties with dedication, hard work and a positive approach. The minister said that Shehbaz Sharif appreciated the efforts of the whole team of health department.

He said getting quality medicines at the health centres was the right of poor patients and no misappropriation of medicines would be allowed. He directed the CEOs to keep a vigilant eye on the storekeepers and other staff dealing with the medicine stocks.

Primary and Secondary Health Secretary Ali Jan Khan said that as per the direction of CM, timeline had been fixed to achieve targets. He added that monitoring systems based on information technology had been introduced in the department. Khan said that, as a rough estimate, 2,80,000 deliveries take place in Punjab every month. He said that vaccination of newborn children was essential to prevent ingthem from various diseases; therefore, strict monitoring of performance of vaccinators was inevitable to further improve the immunisation routine in Punjab.

Health secretary informed the meeting that hepatitis B birth dose had been introduced in Punjab for infants. He said that a check list had been introduced at health centres for ensuring satisfactory treatment. He added that onward performance of health centres would be verified according to the prescribed check list and feedback would also be taken from an independent source.



It was informed that tuberculoses (TB) had been declared notifiable disease in Punjab for bringing about 70,000 missing patients on record. TB Control Director Dr Zarfashan Tahir further informed that the government was providing free treatment facilities to 2,20,000 TB patients in the province.

Punjab Hepatitis Control Programme Director Dr Zahida Sarwar said that hepatitis filter clinics had been established in 80 THQ and DHQ hospitals. She said that one month medicine was being provided to the patients at present; however, PHCP had decided to provide three months medicines to the patients for ensuring availability of medicines without any interruption.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 9^th, 2017.