Pindi to revamp health centres by year-end

Initiative aims to ease burden on major hospitals, offer improved services to citizens

RAWALPINDI:

The ongoing revamp of 22 Basic Health Units (BHUs) and seven Rural Health Centres (RHCs) across the district will be completed by December 31.

The phase 1 of the project will be completed under the supervision of the District Health Authority (DHA).

Upon completion of the ongoing construction work by the Building Department (BD), for the first time in these medical Centres, the services of upgraded treatment programme (UTP), Electrocardiogram (ECG) and Ultrasound facilities, and mother and child health services will be initiated round-the-clock. Trained doctors and staff will be available at these centres to serve the citizens.

Eight BHUs of Gujar Khan, Dhong, Jaja, Jarmot Kalan, Jatli, Kari Do Lal, Pothi Banial, Rame, Singhori, while three BHCs of Kahuta include Dakhali, Hensar, and Mwara will be revamped.

Two BHUs of Kallar Sayedan, Bukhardal and Choha Khalsa, as many BHUs of Kotli Sattian, Kahroor and Maloot Sattian, one BHU of Murree, Kalimati, and six BHUs of Rawalpindi Tehsil, Bajniyal, Chahan, Chappar, Dhok Badhal, Dhok Par, and Hayal Sharif will be also upgraded.

Seven RHCs include Daulatala, Mandra and Qazian in Gujjar Khan, one in Phagwari in Murree, and three centres in Rawalpindi including Baga Sheikhan, Chontra and Khayaban Sir Syed will also be revamped.

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the District Health Authority (DHA), Dr Asif Arbab Niazi says in compliance with the instructions of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, work is underway to improve the basic healthcare system in the Rawalpindi district.

In the first phase, all the government buildings of BHUs and RHUs are being renovated and brought into better condition. The building department has set a date for completion by December 31, after which the provision of doctors, trained staff, medicine and elective medical equipment will be ensured in these health centres.

All these centres will provide round-the-clock treatment facilities. For the first time, ECG and ultrasound facilities will be available for patients in these health centres, while the Mother and Child Health services are being further upgraded, in which women will be provided with all the treatment facilities and regular counselling by health experts to lead a healthy life.

Dr Niazi further says improving the treatment system in these centres can reduce the burden of patients in major hospitals in the city, therefore, the Punjab government has issued instructions to focus on providing treatment facilities to citizens near their homes.