SSH paramedical staff service structure will be upgraded:Ehsaan-ud-Din Qureshi

Lahore:Minister Labour Punjab Haji Ehsaan-ud-Din Qureshi has said that paramedical staff of social security hospitals (SSH) will be upgraded on the pattern of health department paramedics. He said that all the working has been completed and it will be implemented from the previous dates at which such formula was applied in health department. While addressing a delegation of paramedics of social security hospitals, Haji Ehsaan-ud-Din Qureshi said that government is promoting public health and preventive programmes besides up-grading of health facilities for which the community participation and the role of Lady Health Workers is very vital. He said that the MMR in LHWs covered area is 147/100,000 live births, compared 300 to 350/100,000 to uncovered areas, therefore, the LHWs, LHVs and the community midwives were being appointed at all the health centers in remote areas. Haji Ehsaan-ud-Din Qureshi said that specific objectives of these maternal and infant health programmes are to reduce the under five mortality rate to less than 65 per thousand live births by this year target 2015:45/1000, to reduce the newborn mortality rate to less than 40 per thousand live births target 40/1000, than 55 per thousand live births, target 40/1000, to reduce maternal mortality ratio to 200 per ten thousand live births, target 140/10000 and to increase the proportion of deliveries attended by the skilled birth attendants at home or in health facilities to 90 percent by 2015. Now, lady health workers have to convey the message to rural women that the delivery through skilled birth attendant could save the mother and child’s lives, through which the mortality rate in new born children can also be minimized which is at present very high in Pakistan, he added. Secretary Labour Hassan Iqbal, Commissioner Social Security & other officials, representatives of paramedics were present in the meeting beside others.