PHOTO: EXPRESS
Punjab Minister for Primary and Secondary Health, Specialised Healthcare and Medical Education Dr Yasmin Rashid informed the Punjab Assembly that no child would be discharged from hospitals without being examined by a senior doctor.
She was responding to an adjournment motion of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) lawmaker Ch Ashraf Ali. The PML-N legislator sought a debate over the issue contending that on November 18, 2018, a six-month-old minor died in Ganga Ram Hospital owing to the wrong prescription of a doctor.
Dr Rashid claimed that the management of the hospital had taken the notice of the incident and suspended the doctor after it was established in the inquiry that the child was examined by a trainee doctor and she discharged the minor after prescribing some medicines. Later, after two hours the child was brought back dead to the hospital.
The minister said she along with her department has set some recommendations for hospitals which would be implemented in letter and spirit. She said now no house officer would discharge any child without consulting the seniors. “No doctors will be allowed to use mobile phones in the emergency wards except in emergency cases. A senior registrar will be appointed in patriotic emergencies who will ensure his/her presence in the wards,” she said.
Punjab Law Minister Raja Basharat promised on the floor of the house to pass instructions with immediate effect to the local police, highways police, traffic police to keep an eye on overloaded goods vehicles and impose a fine on them over violations. The minister also said the route plan would be made mandatory with the drivers of these vehicles so that they could be detected over violations. The minister passed these instructions after Sheikh Allauddin, a PML-N minister, presented his motion during ‘Zero Hour’.
Later, on point of order, Basharat got the duration of one month extended of a committee to bring amendments over the issuance of production orders.
The opposition lawmakers seemed annoyed after they were not allowed to speak on point of order and they pointed out quorum twice in reaction to the conduct of the panel of chairman PTI’s Mian Shafi Muhammad who presided the house. The law minister grilled the opposition claiming it was ‘a private members day’ and he was at a loss to understand why the quorum was being pointed out when the matters relating to the common people were under discussion.
Later, PML-N’s Samiullah Khan lambasted Deputy Speaker Sardar Dost Muhammad Mazari on the ‘hunting trip’ to Rahim Yar Khan on January 6 with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed bin Sultan Al-Nahyan. Minister for Public Prosecution Ch Zaheeruddin said it was a ‘goodwill visit’ and not a hunting trip. Meanwhile, a senior PTI legislator Saeed Akbar Khan seconded the opposition's stance and a few days back Qatar's princes set up a camp in Bhakkar for hunting.
Out of five resolutions, two were passed while rests were pended. Amongst the passed resolutions, one was about the killings of Kashmiris by the Indian forces. It condemned the silence of the international community and the United Nations over the killings and stressed to come forward to resolve the issue.
And the second was about devising a policy to purchase wheat so that the farmers could not face difficulties in getting ‘baardana’ and in supply of wheat. However, with the consent of the house members, a day was fixed for debate on this issue.
After completion of agenda items, the panel of chairman adjourned the House by Wednesday (today) at 11am.
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