Government is taking steps to control diseases:Kh Salman Rafiq

Lahore: Advisor to Chief Minister Punjab on Health Kh. Salman Rafiq has said that government has taken revolutionary steps for health sector development with a focus to control diseases and provide best healthcare facilities to the people of far-flung areas.

He directed the district health managers to perform their responsibilities with professional zeal for further improving working of district and tehsil headquarters hospitals.

He stated this while presiding over monthly conference of EDOs Health at Directorate General Health Services, here today. Besides, Secretary Primary & Secondary Health Punjab Ali Jan Khan, DG Health Services Dr. Mukhtar Hussain Syed, members of Chief Minister’s Health Roadmap Team, Directors of Health Programme, EDOs Health of all the districts and representatives of international development partners were present in the meeting. Chief Minister’s Health Roadmap team presented a review regarding the performance of Health Department at district level.

The meeting was informed that due to various initiatives taken under Chief Minister’s Health Roadmap, the performance of Primary & Secondary Health sector has improved substantially. Absenteeism of the staff in the hospitals has declined due to introduction of bio-metric system. Moreover, availability of medicines has been ensured and performance of vaccinators has also improved due to E-Vaccs monitoring system and use of android phones.

This has resulted in tremendous improvement in the coverage of routine immunization under EPI programme, which has been risen from 50 percent to 75 percent within a year. The meeting reviewed the arrangements for the upcoming Sub-National Immunization (SNIDs) campaign against polio in the selected districts from March 14.

Secretary Health Ali Jan Khan directed the officers to finalize arrangements for the SNIDs in March. He further said that DCOs and DPOs of the selected districts, where the SNIDs will be carried out, have been asked to provide proper security to the polio teams.

Kh. Salman Rafique directed the District Health Managers to take effective measures against viral diseases. He said that vigorous outdoor and indoor dengue surveillance should be ensured to control the disease.

Kh. Salman Rafique stressed the need for effective measures against dengue especially in Rawalpindi. He said that world has become a global village and it is time to keep abreast with development in health sector and disease pattern at world level so that people could be provided effective shield against these diseases.