PM Nawaz Sharif express dissatisfaction over health facilities in Islamabad

Lahore : Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif expressing dissatisfaction over the state of government health facilities and abysmal quality of services in the federal capital on Monday directed for provision of quality health services to the dwellers of Islamabad and its adjoining areas.

This was stated by Secretary to the Prime Minister Fawad Hasan Fawad while chairing a meeting at the PM House, on the directives of the Prime Minister, about quality of government health services being provided in the Islamabad Capital Territory.

The meeting reviewed the availability and quality of government health services being provided in Islamabad Capital Territory and to formulate immediate interventions to improve the coverage and quality of government health services.

After a detailed discussion on the health facilities being managed by the Capital Development Authority, the ICT Administration, and the Capital Development and Administration Division, the meeting took significant decisions for improvement in the health facilities in the Federal Capital.

It was decided that CDA shall convert its dispensaries located in I-10 and G-9 into fully staffed and functional Mother and Child Hospital (MCH), with at least one pediatrician and one gynecologist. A MCH will also be established in F-11.

Chairman CDA will constitute a special committee to finalize the upgradation of these dispensaries to MCHs and establishment of new MCHs.

RHC Sihala, RHC Bara Kahu, BHU Shah Allah Ditta and RHC Tarlai, under ICT Administration, will also be converted into MCHs and will be attached with the PIMS. The remaining BHUs /RHCs will be attached with Polyclinic, the meeting decided.

The meeting decided that Polyclinic will send their Post Graduates to BHUs, RHCs and MCHs. ICT will provide vehicles to facilitate doctors at BHUs and RHCs. Besides, PIMS will provide missing facilities at BHUs and RHCs in addition to arranging medical specialists in ICT’s Mother and Child Hospitals.

Polyclinic will arrange for medical specialists at the Polyclinic to examine patients on special arrangements in CDA MCHs while the Federal Government Hospital in Chak Shahzad, under the Cabinet Division, will also be properly operationalized and upgraded, the meeting was informed.

The meeting agreed to ensure that there is at least one MCH in each sector of Islamabad and no delay will be tolerated in this regard. These Centers will be established by hiring buildings and adequate staff along with necessary equipment and technical assistance.

The Mother & Child Hospitals will be affiliated with Polyclinic and PIMS for the purpose of human
resource allocation as well as expertise.

The meeting decided that initially, the four-tier service structure introduced by the Government of the Punjab will be adopted for doctors working in health establishments under the control of ICT Administration, CADD, CDA or any other relevant federal government body.

The meeting was informed that doctors will be hired on contract basis. For this purpose, the ban on employment will be withdrawn. Additional posts of doctors and medical staff,where needed, will also be created and special funds will be provided to MCHs, BHUs and RHCs on the basis of their performance according to specific evaluation criteria.

The system for biometrics verification and maintenance of record at BHUs, RHCs and MCHs will be provided by NADRA as part of its CSR, the meeting was informed.

It was decided to construct specialty blocks at PIMS which will include a 50-bed Burn Centre; an improved Mother and Child Centre; a new 200-bed Gynecology Centre; a new Trauma Centre on the model of Punjab; a new OPD of 150 consulting rooms (catering for 3000 consultations); 200-bed
Children’s Hospital with a 50-bed central ICU; and a new Operation Theaters Complex.
It was also decided to approve funds for provision of 20 machines for dialysis centre which will be operationalized within two weeks. Besides, the management of PIMS will submit a proposal for hiring of Specialists for liver transplant within a week.

Incinerator will also be installed at PIMS which will cater for all hospitals in ICT, the meeting decided.
A grant of Rs 35 million was approved during the meeting to upgrade 17 dispensaries of Polyclinic. The meeting approved one CT Scanner and one MRI machine for Polyclinic. The meeting decided to fill all the vacant posts of doctors and paramedics in next two months.

Additionally, 100 new positions of Medical Officers will be created in the Polyclinic. A 100 seat medical plus 50 dental college will be built under the Capital Development and Administration Division, the meeting decided.

The meeting also decided to fast-track the construction of 1200 beds hospital in Islamabad announced by the Prime Minister earlier this year to meet the longstanding demand of the residents of the city as well as to accommodate the increased concentration of people from adjoining areas.

The meeting reaffirmed the commitment under the vision of the Prime Minister to provide affordable and quality health services at state-of-the-art health infrastructure in Islamabad for not just the residents of the Federal Capital,but also for patients from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and adjoining
districts of Punjab as well as residents of Gilgit-Baltistan.

The meeting was attended by Secretary CADD Hasan Iqbal, Mayor Islamabad Sheikh Ansar, Chairman CDA Mahroof Afzal,Chief Commissioner Islamabad Zulfiqar Haider, Dr. Javed Akram, Vice Chancellor PIMS, Dr. Amjad, Executive Director FGSH and other senior government officials.