Doctors get 150 'Maryam Clinic' contract letters

Chief minister announces plan to launch motorcycle mini-clinics.

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LAHORE:

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has launched a project to transform 150 healthcare centres in the province into 'Maryam Nawaz Health Clinics".

The chief minister distributed contract letters for the clinics among doctors.

According to an official statement, every basic facility will be available in the state-of-the-art and clean clinics.

The entire system from entry to treatment in the clinics will be digital. Addressing the launching ceremony of the project, Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz took a pledge from doctors to serve patients.

She announced that the annual fund for each dialysis patient would be increased from Rs700,000 to Rs1 million across Punjab.

She also announced a plan to introduce motorcycle mini-clinics, launch a project for organ implants and provide insulin to type 1 diabetic patients at their doorsteps across Punjab soon.

She directed the authorities concerned to activate a help desk to guide patients in hospitals.

"I cannot make reforms in health system single- handedly and need doctors' help. The doctors should ensure maintenance, cleanliness and better arrangements in the new Maryam Nawaz Health Clinics," she said.

The chief minister said the government was also making efforts to overcome the shortage of nurses in hospitals across Punjab.

Regarding the planned motorbike clinics, she said, "Paramedical staff on motorcycles will provide initial diagnosis and treatment. The paramedical staff will contact doctors through a telemedicine system."

She said health reforms were the biggest challenge for her after assuming the office as the problems were multifaceted and change was not possible overnight.

The CM said that apart from its own population, people from Balochistan, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Kashmir and Afghanistan were also benefiting from Punjab's health system.

She said, "Lack of resources and dearth of hospitals poses a big challenge. I want speed of Punjab's health team to be more swift."

The chief minister said 90 per cent medicines were being provided free of cost in Punjab.

"The pilferage of medicines and even insulin from hospitals is highly heart-rending and regrettable. Chinese hospital officials were surprised to hear questions about medicine theft. The security staff in private hospitals ask for money from patients to enter," she lamented.

She added, "We have deployed our able officers to bring improvements in three big hospitals of Lahore. More than seven million people have benefited from field hospitals. Elderly patients do not need to go to the hospitals, their treatment is possible near their homes. Treatment is being provided in the streets through 'Clinics on Wheels'."

Chief Minister Mariam Nawaz said she wanted at least 100,000 patients to get cancer medicines for two months at their doorsteps.

She said, "Cancer tumours can be treated by using Chinese mode of treatment. The best machinery in the world will be introduced in Punjab's hospitals."

She said 1,250 basic health centres were being built and rehabilitated in Punjab, of which 904 had been completed.

She said the workload of big hospitals would be reduced by making the basic health centres properly functional.

"We will also provide ECG, ultrasound and other machines in Maryam Nawaz Health Clinics. CT scan and MRI machines will also be provided for basic diagnosis. Doctors should support us and we will undertake such a mega task which will entirely change the condition of the health system," she added.