Punjab Government announces easy loan for lady doctors

Lahore: Punjab Government has announced easy loan scheme for women medical officers who do not continue their professional career after marriage can set up their private clinics and Punjab Health Foundation (PHF) will facilitate them in this regard.

This was decided in a meeting of board of directors of Punjab Health Foundation, here today. Besides, Secretary Health Jawad Rafique Malik, MD PHF Izhar Anwar Sheikh, Additional Secretary I&C S&GAD M. Naeem Ghaus, Assistant Chief Planning Officer (Health) P&D Board Uzma Hafeez, Additional Secretary Population Welfare Madam Zareen, Prof. Eice Muhammad (Non Official Member) and the officers of social welfare and other concerned departments attended the meeting. It was proposed that private medical colleges should also be approached for establishing nursing schools for overcoming shortage of nurses and PHF will extend financial assistance to them for this purpose. Secretary Health directed that a letter be sent to the management of private medical colleges and a feasibility report should also prepaid to evaluate the capacity of these colleges to produce qualified nurses.

Kh. Salman Rafiq observed that usually women medical officers give up their profession after marriage which is a great loss to the nation. He directed that PHF should persuade such women medical officers to establish their private clinics and special package be introduced for married women medical officers for establishing clinics so that they could serve their community. He said that South Punjab is facing severe shortage of WMOs.

Secretary Health said that proposal to provide stipend to post-graduate nurses should also be considered. He said that the basic objective of providing interest-free loans is to promote health facilities in the remote areas.