Public health: ‘Nishtar College to be made a university’

MULTAN:

The government will grant Nishtar Medical College, Multan, the status of a university, Governor Rafiq Rajwana said on Tuesday.

He was addressing Nishtar Medical College’s academic council and Nishtar Hospital’s Board of Management members.

“The government will also provide funds to increase the number of beds at the hospital from 1,100 to 1,700,” he said.

The governor directed the health officials to prepare a summary to raise the salaries of doctors working at rural health centres (RHCs) and basic health units (BHUs). Board of Management chairman Khawaja Jalaluddin Roomi said that the condition of district headquarters (DHQ) hospitals should be improved to reduce the burden on Nishtar Hospital. “The hospital needs more operation theatres. The government should provide funds for the purpose. The nephrology ward needs new machinery,” he said.

He said that the government should introduce public health insurance to provide better medical facilities to the masses.

Nishtar Medical College principal Kamran Salik said that nearly 97,000 patients visited the Out Patients Department of the hospital every month. “Around 31,000 patients are provided emergency care at the hospital every month. A total of 3,700 surgeries are performed at the hospital. Currently, 2,500 dialysis patients are getting free treatment. The hospital needs two MRI machines, two CT scan machines, a digital X-ray machine and up-grade of the cardiology ward,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 27^th, 2015.