Chief minister orders steps to strengthen BHUs
LRH sacks head of cardiology dept, suspends surgeries until further notice
Medical officers will teach about personal hygiene, communicable diseases. PHOTO: FILE
PESHAWAR:
The provincial health department has been directed to ensure the presence of basic health facilities and staff at Basic Health Units in Peshawar in order to ensure the provision of primary healthcare to the public at their doorsteps.
This was directed by the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Chief Minister Mahmood Khan on Sunday while chairing a meeting regarding the Peshawar Health Plan at the Chief Minister’s House. The meeting included the K-P Health Minister Hisham Inamullah Khan, K-P Finance Minister Taimoor Jhagra, Advisor to the Chief Minister for Merged Areas Ajmal Wazir, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Shahab Ali Shah, the provincial secretaries of health and finance ministries and other high-ranking officials.
CM Mahmood stated that reforms in basic health units (BHUs) are of paramount importance as they are the first port of call for meeting everyday healthcare needs thereby reducing the burden on major hospitals.
He was told that the timely release of funds, provision of medicine on a monthly basis, efficient monitoring systems and regular meetings of the District Health Officers with the staff of the BHUs are critical to ensuring efficient and effective delivery of healthcare to the public.
Mahmood said they were sincere about strengthening BHUs as part of the Peshawar health plan.
He further said that once successfully implemented, similar policies and reforms will be grafted for all the BHUs throughout the province so that every resident of the province is able to avail healthcare at their doorsteps, reducing the burden on major hospitals.
LRH stops cardiac surgeries, axes head of dept
The administration of the Lady Reading Hospital Medical Teaching Institute (LRH-MTI) has stopped cardiac surgeries at the facility after a row erupted with its surgeons over a sudden spike in mortalities after operations.
Doctors have blamed the lack of adequate medical equipment and staff as the main reason for the rising mortalities. The hospital, though, has sacked the cardiac department’s head Dr Riaz Anwer.
A notification issued by the medical director of LRH late on Friday stated that in light of the demands presented by three senior consultant cardiac surgeons — including Dr Anwer, Dr Abdul Malik and Dr Ajab Khan — regarding additional items in the cardiac surgery department for pre and postsurgical care, the hospital administration had suspended all surgical procedures at the centre until further notice.
Owing to the increase in deaths of patients, the hospital administration said that it had ordered an audit and the report suggested removing the cardiac surgery department’s head apart from providing further training to improve the capabilities of the other two doctors.
The hospital subsequently removed Dr Anwer from his post on Saturday and appointed Dr Ajab Khan in his stead.
With cardiac surgeries at the facility suspended, the MTI’s administration will utilize the break to evaluate the demands put forth by the doctors, including improving the safety of patients during and after operations.
The hospital administration has said that it will conduct a thorough review of all equipment and other facilities in the cardiovascular department of the hospital and assess whether further equipment or staff is required.
“For the best care of patients, we will thoroughly inspect the demands for equipment for the cardiovascular department,” LRH Public Relations Officer Muhammad Asim told The Express Tribune. He added that during this time, LRH patients will be referred to the Khyber Teaching Hospital and the Hayatabad Medical complex for surgeries.
The doctors’ community has expressed serious reservations over the hospital questioning the competence of the three senior surgeons.
However, the hospital administration maintains that a rise in mortalities in recent years was due to the incompetence of the doctors.
LRH medical director stated that the purpose of the review was to provide quality treatment to the patients who undergo different surgeries and to make sure they do not suffer and they are operated according to international standards. He further said that the hospital administration was keen to provide all sorts of facilities, not only to the cardiovascular department but also to other departments as well.
For this purpose medical equipment worth more than a billion rupees were recently purchased for different departments due to which healthcare service improved.
The surgeons, as per the correspondence seen by Daily Express, kept telling the administration that they needed better equipment, a trained nurse for every bed in ICU, shift in-charges, and doctors to improve the services of the cardiac surgery department.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 15th, 2019.
The provincial health department has been directed to ensure the presence of basic health facilities and staff at Basic Health Units in Peshawar in order to ensure the provision of primary healthcare to the public at their doorsteps.
This was directed by the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Chief Minister Mahmood Khan on Sunday while chairing a meeting regarding the Peshawar Health Plan at the Chief Minister’s House. The meeting included the K-P Health Minister Hisham Inamullah Khan, K-P Finance Minister Taimoor Jhagra, Advisor to the Chief Minister for Merged Areas Ajmal Wazir, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Shahab Ali Shah, the provincial secretaries of health and finance ministries and other high-ranking officials.
CM Mahmood stated that reforms in basic health units (BHUs) are of paramount importance as they are the first port of call for meeting everyday healthcare needs thereby reducing the burden on major hospitals.
He was told that the timely release of funds, provision of medicine on a monthly basis, efficient monitoring systems and regular meetings of the District Health Officers with the staff of the BHUs are critical to ensuring efficient and effective delivery of healthcare to the public.
Mahmood said they were sincere about strengthening BHUs as part of the Peshawar health plan.
He further said that once successfully implemented, similar policies and reforms will be grafted for all the BHUs throughout the province so that every resident of the province is able to avail healthcare at their doorsteps, reducing the burden on major hospitals.
LRH stops cardiac surgeries, axes head of dept
The administration of the Lady Reading Hospital Medical Teaching Institute (LRH-MTI) has stopped cardiac surgeries at the facility after a row erupted with its surgeons over a sudden spike in mortalities after operations.
Doctors have blamed the lack of adequate medical equipment and staff as the main reason for the rising mortalities. The hospital, though, has sacked the cardiac department’s head Dr Riaz Anwer.
A notification issued by the medical director of LRH late on Friday stated that in light of the demands presented by three senior consultant cardiac surgeons — including Dr Anwer, Dr Abdul Malik and Dr Ajab Khan — regarding additional items in the cardiac surgery department for pre and postsurgical care, the hospital administration had suspended all surgical procedures at the centre until further notice.
Owing to the increase in deaths of patients, the hospital administration said that it had ordered an audit and the report suggested removing the cardiac surgery department’s head apart from providing further training to improve the capabilities of the other two doctors.
The hospital subsequently removed Dr Anwer from his post on Saturday and appointed Dr Ajab Khan in his stead.
With cardiac surgeries at the facility suspended, the MTI’s administration will utilize the break to evaluate the demands put forth by the doctors, including improving the safety of patients during and after operations.
The hospital administration has said that it will conduct a thorough review of all equipment and other facilities in the cardiovascular department of the hospital and assess whether further equipment or staff is required.
“For the best care of patients, we will thoroughly inspect the demands for equipment for the cardiovascular department,” LRH Public Relations Officer Muhammad Asim told The Express Tribune. He added that during this time, LRH patients will be referred to the Khyber Teaching Hospital and the Hayatabad Medical complex for surgeries.
The doctors’ community has expressed serious reservations over the hospital questioning the competence of the three senior surgeons.
However, the hospital administration maintains that a rise in mortalities in recent years was due to the incompetence of the doctors.
LRH medical director stated that the purpose of the review was to provide quality treatment to the patients who undergo different surgeries and to make sure they do not suffer and they are operated according to international standards. He further said that the hospital administration was keen to provide all sorts of facilities, not only to the cardiovascular department but also to other departments as well.
For this purpose medical equipment worth more than a billion rupees were recently purchased for different departments due to which healthcare service improved.
The surgeons, as per the correspondence seen by Daily Express, kept telling the administration that they needed better equipment, a trained nurse for every bed in ICU, shift in-charges, and doctors to improve the services of the cardiac surgery department.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 15th, 2019.