Provincial health projects benefit 21m patients

CM orders expansion of nursing training

LAHORE:

Over 21 million people have benefited from field hospitals and Clinics on Wheels, while more than 30,000 patients suffering from diabetes, hepatitis and tuberculosis have received free medicines at homes across Punjab.

Provincial Health and Population Secretary Nadia Saqib shared the figures in a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif.

The official said 1,217 health centres had been revamped, while construction and rehabilitation work on 895 others was under way in the ongoing phase.

Community health inspectors have registered over 63 million individuals across Punjab.

Cardiac catheterisation projects are operational in four hospitals, where 1,628 procedures have been completed in Jhelum, Jhang, Mianwali and Vehari.

Across the province, 251 surveillance assistants are digitally monitoring and tracking district and tehsil hospitals as well as health centres.

A report on the restructuring of the department was presented, with the chief minister expressing satisfaction.

She ordered steps for establishing stroke management centres in district hospitals and increase in seats for nursing degrees in government hospitals.

The participants were informed that Clinics on Wheels had treated 18.2 million patients, conducted seven million ultrasounds and administered vaccination to 1.2 million children. Field hospitals received 2.8 million patients, conducted 448,468 lab tests and carried out 170,772 X-rays and ultrasounds.

Under the home delivery initiative, 2,242 diabetes patients are receiving insulin for two months at a time, while 14,286 hepatitis and 13,864 tuberculosis patients are also being provided medicines.

In an initial phase, 1,026 Basic Health Units (BHUs) and 191 Rural Health Centres (RHCs) were revamped into modern facilities. In Phase II, 433 BHUs and 81 RHCs were upgraded, while Phase III includes ongoing work on 895 health centres.