Programme leader World Bank Dr Inam-ul-Haq calls on Najam Ahmad Shah

Lahore: Programme leader World Bank Dr. Inam-ul-Haq and Senior Health Specialist Dr. Tayyab called on the Secretary Specialized Healthcare & Medical Education Najam Ahmad Shah and Secretary Primary and Secondary Health Ali Jan Khan separately, at Civil Secretariat, here today.

Director Policy And Strategic Planning Unit (PSPU) Ali Bahadur Qazi, Additional Secretary Development Malik Zaheer Abbas, Chief Planning Officer Health Department Abdul Haq Bhatti and officers of planning and development also present in the meeting. During the meeting views were exchanged on the annual development program in health sector.

The meeting also discussed on the future planning for the next fiscal year and the options of World Bank cooperation in this regard. Secretary Specialized Healthcare Najam Ahmad Shah, while talking to the delegation said that completion of the ongoing development project is the priority number one so that people could get benefit from better health facilities. Najam Ahmad Shah further said that information technology would be used as a tool for health sector reforms to maintain transparency and improvement in the system.

He said that the government is spending huge funds to ensure better healthcare facilities for the people and reforms are being introduced in the health system according to the vision of Chief Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif. He appreciated the  cooperation of World Bank for Health sector development in Punjab.

Secretary primary and Secondary Health Ali Jan Khan, talking to the World Bank representatives, informed that effective steps have been taken for the improvement of primary and secondary health for providing better healthcare to the people of remote areas.

He discussed in detail regarding the reforms introduced in Basic Health Units, Rural Health Centres and reforms introduced for the improvement of DHQ’s and THQ’s hospitals. Ali jan khan informed the delegation about the construction, repair and maintenance of the infrastructure, availability of medicines, presence of doctors and the staff in the health facilities under the Chief Minister’s health sector reforms program.

He further said that Chief Minister Health Roadmap team has introduced many reforms in primary and secondary health and prevention of diseases.

Ali Jan Khan said that due to the effective measures under EPI program, the coverage of routine immunization has been significantly increased, resulting in effective control on various diseases including Polio in Punjab.