Health moot: ‘Healthcare system needs to be improved’

Meeting of pediatric cardiology society held at Children’s Hospital.

LAHORE:

Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif said on Saturday that there was a need to improve the healthcare system.

He said this while addressing the 11th annual meeting of the Pakistan Pediatric Cardiology and Cardiac Surgeons Society was held on Saturday at the Children’s Hospital.

“Basic changes will have to be made in the healthcare system for providing quality medical facilities to the people,” he said.

He paid tribute to doctors, nurses and paramedical staff for serving humanity with devotion and dedication during calamities like earthquakes and floods.

“The floods have caused massive destruction and displaced hundreds of thousands of people,” he said. He said that the performance of rural health centres was not up to the mark.

Prof Dr Masood Sadiq, chairman of the organising committee, briefed the participants about the objectives of the conference. “Delegations from Turkey, America, the United Kingdom, India, Thailand, United Arab Emirates and Indonesia are participating in the conference. We will benefit from their experiences,” he said.

He also spoke about the facilities at the hospital for the children suffering from cardiac diseases at the hospital. He said the hospital would soon sign memoranda of understanding (MoUs) with the JB Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi and a London hospital for treating cardiac diseases.

Adviser on Health Khawaja Salman Rafique, Secretary Health Jawad Rafique Malik, Medical Director Children Hospital Ahsan Waheed Rathore, Pakistan Pediatric Cardiology and Cardiac Surgeons Society president Prof Kaleemuddin Aziz and Prof Shakeel Qureshi were also present.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 28^th, 2014.