Medical experts to take effective measure for prevention of diseases:Hashmi

Lahore: Punjab Health Minister Mrs. Salima Hashmi has called upon the medical experts to take effective measure for prevention of diseases, along with paying greater attention to health education so that communicable diseases, measles, polio and dengue would be completely eliminated.

She stated this on the visit of Lahore Chapter of College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan (CPSP) here today. Regional Director CPSP Prof Dr. Khalid Masood Gondal, Additional Secretary (Technical) of Punjab Health Department Dr. Anwar Janjua, Vice President CPSP Prof. Rakhshanda Rehman, Prof. Ali Mehdi Hashmi, Prof. Muhammad Shoaib Shafi, Prof. Syed Asghar Naqi and other members of the faculty were also present on the occasion. Mrs. Salima Hashmi said that there is a need to established quality medical institutions in rural areas, so that people do not have the need to come to mega cities. She said the basic responsibility of caretaker government is to ensure conduct of fair, free and transparent elections, however, day to day problems cannot be overlooked and it is responsibility of the caretaker government to overcome them as well. She said media is part and parcel of our social struggle and it is amicably discharging its duties in this regard. She called upon doctors’ community to become part of health sector system and to combat challenges facing the country and to provide solution.

The Minister said that Pakistan is faced with many problems including terrorism, measles, polio, dengue and loadshedding for which there is a dire need for making stringent efforts. She said the health needs of the people are increasing day by day. She said there has been a lot of improvement in the health sector in Punjab and new colleges and hospitals have been constructed, however the issue of faculties of the new medical colleges are still existing. She expressed the hope that CPSP would play its role in providing teachers to the medical colleges. She said that the countries of the region have achieved great deal of success in ensuring health of mother and child, reducing maternal deaths and health sector, while country like Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal are ahead of Pakistan in this field. She said mortality rate of women and children and statistics relating to health in Pakistan are a source of concern to all of us, especial medical experts. She said great deal of facilities should be provided to doctors, along with provision of more funds to the health sectors, however there is need to establish a system of accountability and transparency in this regard. She said health care system is not a business but fundamental need of every person, while it is the basic responsibility of government to ensure medical care to the people.

Earlier, Regional Director CPSP gave a detailed briefing to the Provincial Minister regarding activities and achievements of the college, which is performing valuable services in higher medical education. Khalid Masood informed that the degrees of CPSP are not only recognized in countries like Saudi Arabia, America, Britain and other countries, but many examinations in other countries are conducted by CPSP, whereas thousands highly trained medical experts, medical teachers are performing valuable services inside the countries at government medical colleges and teaching hospitals, at the end, Provincial Minister distributed certificates among the participants of medical teachers training course.