Central labs to be set up in Lahore, Multan: CM

Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday announced to set up latest central pathology labs in Lahore and Multan; small labs of hospitals will be connected with the central lab through satellite. He was addressing a high-level meeting which continued for two hours to ponder over the pace of progress on health projects and state of implementation on health sector reforms programme.
While addressing the meeting, Shehbaz said resources worth billions of rupees are being utilized for providing qualitative and latest healthcare facilities to the ordinary people and expressed satisfaction that people are getting latest facilities after the completion of mega healthcare projects. He said new hospitals will be established in the province under the public-private partnership model in future. He added that hepatitis control programme is very important in helping people to guard themselves against this deadly disease and therefore this programme should be effectively implemented.
He expressed satisfaction that the programme of providing medicines to the hepatitis patients at their doorsteps is in progress successfully. The use of latest technology in health facilities is being promoted and latest ventilator system will be useful for monitoring the ventilators in the hospitals. Similarly, patients' information management system is also being developed and the system of purchase, supply and distribution of medicines has been digitalized.
He said the Prime Minister Health Insurance Programme is in vogue in four districts and the scope of this programme will be extended to all the districts of the province. The meeting reviewed the service delivery program of private hospitals for providing healthcare services. Secretary Specialized Healthcare and Medical Education Najam Ahmad Shah gave a briefing over the progress of healthcare projects. The Chief Minister was also presented with the inquiry report of the incident of death of 40-year-old Muhammad Yasin in THQ Hospital Tandlianwala by the head of inquiry committee Professor Dr Muhammad. Provincial Ministers Kh Imran Nazir, Dr Mukhtar Ahmad Bhart, Advisor Dr Umar Saif, health secretaries as well as higher officials of the health department attended the meeting.