Unnecessary patient referrals irk Punjab health minister

The minister also urged parents to immunise their children against pneumonia

LAHORE:  

Provincial Minister for Health Dr Yasmin Rashid has stressed that no patients should be referred to major hospitals without a solid reason.

"No patient should be referred without a written statement of the specialist because the travel along could pose a threat to their lives," she said. She added that such a transfer must be accompanied by the written statement of the medical expert who suggested such a referral.

Dr Rashid has said newly-inducted medical officers should also be trained as anesthetists as there is a dire need for more such medics at public sector hospitals.

She was addressing CEOs of district health authorities via video link on Monday. Secretary Primary and Secondary Healthcare Muhammad Khan Ranjha also attended the meeting.

The minister said the health department was taking every necessary step to deal with the shortage of anesthesia experts and teaching institutions had been directed to increase seats for the positions.

"The lack of health facilities does not mean that we cannot achieve certain targets," she said. The minister also ordered that doctors working on ad-hoc basis might be adjusted on vacant posts after the appointment of medical officers recruited through the Punjab Public Service Commission.

Meanwhile, a delegation of UNICEF, led by Chief Field Officer Dr Zeba Bukhari, called on Dr Rashid and discussed the breastfeeding and nutrition programme. "The Punjab government is committed to focusing on mother and child health. During the Nutrition Week celebrated last month, more than 80,000 children were provided with food supplements for 40 consecutive days," she said. She also suggested that UNICEF should adopt selected district or schools for its model nutrition plan. The delegation offered that UNICEF wanted to provide technical and financial assistance for the training of concerned staff of the health department.

On the same day, Dr Rashid urged people to get their children immunised against pneumonia. In a message on the World Pneumonia Awareness Day, she said the Punjab government was committed to immunising every child against preventable diseases. "Every year, thousands of children die due of pneumonia simply due to the negligence of their parents," she regretted.

She advised mothers to be careful in winter because the virus usually attacks in cold weather. "Only keeping kids warm is not enough; we will have to vaccinate them to avoid the disease," she added.

The health minister said that all segments of society should play their role to make Pakistan a pneumonia-free country.

With additional reporting from APP