'Nursing hospitals not meeting standards'

Minister claims 15 medical colleges were registered during PTI's rule without inspection

ISLAMABAD:

A parliamentary panel was told on Monday that fifteen medical colleges were registered without any inspection during the PTI's rule while none of the 55 nursing colleges recently visited by the health secretary were eligible for accreditation.

Minister of State for National Health Services Dr Malik Mukhtar Ahmad Bharath informed the National Assembly Standing Committee on National Health that 55 nursing colleges were recently visited.

"According to the report [submitted by the health secretary], not a single college was found eligible for accreditation. A detailed report is being prepared by the Pakistan Nursing Council," he added. During the committee meeting, chaired by Mahesh Malani, Abdul Qadir Patel authorized Dr Shazia Sobia to discuss the Pharmacy Bill on his behalf. Patel said as soon as the PPP came into power, it transferred the authority related to the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) to the provinces so they could conduct their own tests.

"However, the provinces were not prepared at the time, which is why tests could not be conducted immediately. We want the provinces to carry out their own enlistments," he said.

The committee chairman referred to the complaints from students of Al-Nafees Medical College regarding non-registration. Dr Bharath reiterated that 15 medical colleges were registered during the PTI's term without inspection, and their cases have been sent to the Federal Investigation Agency.

The executive director of the National Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine (NIRM) told the panel that the institute had now started surgeries for correcting clubfoot in children.

"NIRM has a medical budget of Rs40 million, which is very low. Due to this, patients often have to purchase medicines. However, we ensure that epilepsy medications are never out of stock," he said. The committee expressed concerns over the inadequate medicine budget and emphasized that it should be increased. It announced plans to visit the institute and make recommendations to the government.

In Punjab, medicines are provided free of charge through the health cards system but even poor patients in some areas are forced to purchase them. It was suggested that Pakistan Bait-ul-Mal should be used to provide medicines to deserving patients.

RAYZA KHAN