Punjab government gives autonomy to teaching hospitals

Lahore : Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif presided over a three hours long meeting here today which gave approval to a number of revolutionary measures for ensuring best medical facilities to patients in hospital while important decision were also taken in this regard.

The meeting decided to give complete financial and administrative autonomy to teaching and district headquarter hospitals while it also approved provision of budget directly to medical superintendents of all hospitals.

It was also decided by the meeting to give authority to medical superintendents regarding suspension of absentee doctors, nurses and medical staff while medical superintendents of teaching hospitals will have the power to suspend absentee doctors and consultants.

It was further decided to activate filter clinics so as to reduce the burden of patients on teaching hospitals. The participants of the meeting decided to set up health councils for ensuring medical facilities in district and tehsil headquarter hospitals.

DCOs will be chairperson of the health councils at district level while assistant commissioners will be its chairperson at tehsil level. It also decided to outsource repair and maintenance of air-conditioners and generators of hospitals.

Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister said that every effort will be made for provision of quality healthcare to patients in government hospitals. He said that medical superintendents will be empowered but they will also be answerable and a check and balance will be maintained on medical superintendents with regard to their authority and responsibility. He said that the budget of hospitals will be given directly to medical superintendents in future.

The Chief Minister also issued instructions for necessary amendments in rules and regulations for provision of budget to hospitals and said that the new decision will greatly help in ensuring better treatment facilities to patients in hospitals. He said that action should be taken under rules and regulations against absentee doctors, nurses and other staff at any cost and complete implementation of biometric system for attendance should be ensured.

The Chief Minister also gave approval to medicine management system for procurement and distribution of medicines and said that immediate measures should be taken for outsourcing the system of repair and maintenance of medical equipment and machinery of hospitals. He said that in order to check misappropriation of medicines, the modern system based on information technology should be introduced in all hospitals simultaneously.

The Chief Minister also issued instructions for setting up a high level committee for evolving training programme for the members of health councils. He said that the system of cleanliness and provision of other basic facilities will be outsourced under a phased programme. He said that overhauling of the system of provision of healthcare facilities is the need of the hour and necessary reforms will be made for the improvement of health sector.

He said that the mission of service to ailing humanity will be forwarded with a new commitment and he is ready to take tough decisions for the uplift of health sector.

Shahbaz Sharif said that he will personally review implementation of the decisions on regular basis.

The meeting also considered the proposal of setting up a separate energy company for running the system of supply of electricity to hospitals.

Provincial Ministers Rana Sanaullah, Dr. Ayesha Ghaus Pasha, Advisor of Chief Minister Salman Rafiq, Chief Secretary, Parliamentary Secretary Kh. Imran Nazir, Dr. Nadia Aziz MPA, Additional Chief Secretary Chairman Planning & Development, Vice Chancellor King Edward Medical University Dr. Faisal Masood, Principal Allama Iqbal Medical College Prof. Mehmood Shaukat and senior officials attended the meeting.