Basic health unit upgraded
Naveed Ahmed, 30, a doctor, gives medical assistance to flood-affected girl Hameeda, 15, suffering from malaria at Sayed Abdullah Shah Institute of Medical Sciences in Sehwan, Pakistan September 29, 2022. REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro
To improve health facilities in the rural areas of the Rawalpindi district for patients with low-income backgrounds, a basic health unit in the Kontrilla area of Gujar Khan has been upgraded to a rural health centre.
According to official sources, the move is part of the provincial government’s plan to upgrade health facilities in rural areas.
They said the newly upgraded health facility will provide round-the-clock treatment facilities seven days a week. The officials also informed that the process of the upgradation of the basic health unit is going on fast.
It’s worth noting here that citizens in rural areas rely mostly on primary health units for treatment due to the lack of access to tehsil headquarters hospitals and rural health centres. Patients also face a shortage of doctors and support staff and the non-availability of life-saving medicines.
Official sources informed that to solve these problems, a special programme has been launched by the Punjab government to improve treatment facilities in tehsil headquarters hospitals, rural health centres, and primary health centres.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 13th, 2023.