Rural healthcare to beimproved in Rawalpindi

Capital Development Authority (CDA) Chairman and Islamabad Chief Commissioner Muhammad Ali Randhawa on Saturday instructed the District Health Officer (DHO) and CDA's Technology Board members to improve Rural Health Centres (RHCs) and Basic Health Units (BHUs) in the federal capital.

Officials were tasked with introducing new technologies for better healthcare services, providing medical equipment, and upgrading infrastructure.

The directions came at a meeting where members of the engineering and technology departments and the DHO discussed the current state of RHCs and BHUs. The DHO briefed the meeting on the actions taken and current affairs.

The CDA chairman directed the officials to prepare a comprehensive plan, including clear timelines and budget details, to upgrade the healthcare facilities with a view to enhancing the overall healthcare services in Islamabad.

He also stressed the importance of providing top-notch basic healthcare facilities, services, and programmes to upgrade RHCs and BHUs, the backbone of primary healthcare.

Randhawa further directed the officials to equip healthcare facilities with modern equipment and resources to meet community needs effectively.

He also instructed to digitalise health records to improve patient services and introduce the "One Patient, One ID" system to enhance healthcare.

The chairman recommended leveraging the Punjab Healthcare Model and other successful models to improve the healthcare system of the federal capital. The measures would increase access to quality healthcare and make the healthcare system more effective for Islamabad's citizens, he maintained.