Patient Referral System project reviewed

It will provide health services to patients at their doorsteps

LAHORE: The Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid reviewed the progress of the pilot project of Patient Referral System in Lahore in a meeting on Thursday.

The minister reviewed the performance of doctors and staff in the pilot project of the Patient Referral System. The pilot project was introduced in the vicinity of the Jinnah Hospital in which dispensaries and filter clinics were linked with the hospital through an online referral system.

Under the system, patients with minor ailments would be provided treatment at dispensaries and filter clinics whereas patients requiring serious treatment would be referred to tertiary hospitals through bar-coded referral slips.

The minister said that the idea behind the referral system is to provide health services to patients at their doorsteps, reduce unnecessary burden on tertiary hospitals and ensure judicious utilisation of resources. “Through the filter clinics at Wahdat Colony, thousands of patients have been provided quality healthcare services,” she said.

The meeting was attended by Specialised Healthcare and Medical Education (SHME) Department Secretary Barrister Nabeel Awan, SHME Special Secretary Silwat Saeed and others.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 6^th, 2020.