Roadmap reviewed: ‘Govt committed to lifting up health, education sectors’

CM says mobile units providing people with quality medical services

LAHORE:

Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif said on Friday that the government had made the provision of quality health and education services to the people its priority.

He was chairing a meeting regarding the Health Reforms Roadmap. The chief minister said the government had taken comprehensive measures to revamp the sectors. Sharif said the roadmap was being speedily implemented in collaboration with the British Department for International Development (DFID). He said the health services were also being revamped with the DFID’s support.

The roadmap and the action plan were meticulously reviewed in the meeting. Sharif said the government had been paying special attention to the provision of primary healthcare. He said basic health centres were being made hubs of quality services. The chief minister said the on-going mother and child health programme would be speedily implemented with the DFID’s support.

Sharif directed officials to formulate a training programme for health workers on a pattern similar to the teacher training programme in the education sector. He said the vaccination programme was being digitally monitored and steps had been taken to increase its scope. The chief minister said special attention was being paid to the mother and child health programme in the roadmap.

Sharif said mobile health units were providing people in remote areas with quality medical services. He said the aims of the roadmap could be realised with concerted efforts. The chief minister stressed the need to check population growth for national development.

He directed officials to formulate a plan regarding the provision of rotavirus vaccination. The chief minister also instructed them to quickly implement the plan. Sharif said the government would appreciate the efforts of executive district officers (EDOs) working on the roadmap. He said zero-tolerance would be shown to those found guilty of negligence in this regard.

The chief minister praised the Sargodha EDO and encouraged other officials to follow his lead.

Adviser to Chief Minister on Health Khwaja Salman Rafique, former law minister Rana Sanaullah, Parliamentary Secretary Khawaja Imran Nazeer, Chief Secretary Naveed Cheema and Michael Barber of the DFID were also present on the occasion.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 8^th, 2014.