Public health: ‘Govt raising vaccination access in tribal areas’

Rafiq says security of vaccination teams will be ensured

DERA GHAZI KHAN:

Adviser to Chief Minister on Health Khawaja Salman Rafiq said on Wednesday that the government had evolved a comprehensive plan to strengthen the polio vaccination programme and to improve maternal and child health facilities.

He was addressing a meeting at the Commissioner’s Office during his visit of Dera Ghazi Khan.

Rafiq said every child in tribal areas should complete vaccination courses. He said security of vaccination teams in these areas should be ensured.

During the meeting, Rafiq was told that residents of Sakhi Sarwar had complained of shortage of facilities at the rural health centre there.



Rafiq sought recommendations on how to improve health facilities there and said female medical officers would be recruited for the centre. Rafiq said the government had launched a crackdown on those selling substandard medicines.

He said illegal medical stores would be sealed. The adviser on health also inspected the police check post in Sakhi Sarwar. He also inspected a mobile health unit in Sakhi Sarwar He said containers should be provided to government employees at the inter-provincial check post in Taranman and Sakhi Sarwar so that they could work under a shade. Rafiq also checked the transit post for polio vaccination set up at Bawata on border of Punjab-Balochistan. Commissioner Muhammad Saqib Aziz, DCO Nadeemur Rehman, Health Director Shahid Hussain Bhatti and Health EDO Munawar Abbas were also present. Later, Rafiq visited the mausoleum of Hazrat Sultan known as Sakhi Sarwar.

Post graduate trainee induction

The Health Department has notified a post graduate trainee induction policy for doctors in public and private sector, said a spokesman of the department.

In a statement, he said through this policy, a merit-based selection criteria had been introduced which would be enforced at all medical and dental institutions.

According to the notification, additional 20 marks shall be awarded during PG Selection to those serving doctors who worked at basic health units for two years.  Previously, a notification had been issued giving 15 additional marks for two-year service at basic health units.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 18^th, 2015.