'New medical colleges to be set up in country'

Director General (DG) Health Dr Rasheed Jooma has said that federal government is considering to establish new medical colleges in cities and towns of the country. This he said while talking to newsmen after delivering his keynote address at the inauguration of the Kidney Centre Symposium 2009.
He said that after in-depth discussion with Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) and government health authorities, the federal government has devised a policy for setting up new medical colleges in cities and towns of the country with sufficient health service indicators.
He said that after completion of dialogue process, the government has set up a committee to prepare a report for establishing medical colleges in those areas where the healthcare facilities are needed. "The government would take every possible step to ensure healthcare facilities to the masses," he said.
He said that the federal government is planning to increase health budget for fiscal year 2009-10 to help improve standard of citizen's lives. "Health and education are amongst the top priorities of the government," he said.
Delivering a keynote address on "Emerging ideas for health policy in Pakistan," he said major national healthcare programs to be organised to avoid menace of non-communicable diseases. Highlighting the goals and aims of the government, Dr Jooma said decreasing neonatal mortality rates was one of the major health targets. The government had initiated a program under which educated women would be trained as community midwifes in order to replace traditional midwifes who lacked professional training and skills to safely handle delivery cases.
He said that Pakistan had a 39 percent rate of skilled birth attendance and said that this ratio was likely to improve after introduction of trained community midwifes in the next five to seven years. "The government keeping the importance of these midwives in view, has recruited more LHWs and now 100,000 LHWs are working in the country," he said.
He said: "the government, in view of the healthcare services model of Iran, had also been considering the introduction of male health workers as peers. He said that the healthcare policies and facilities should be improved and upgraded so that the poor population can easily afford them. The government is also considering to bring some new ideas to improve healthcare facilities in the country," he said.
Speaking on the occasion as a guest of honour, Professor Jamsheer Talati said that the curriculum of basic medical education at medical colleges should be revised in order to fulfil the ever-expanding healthcare needs of the society. It is a difficult task to revise whole curriculum due to complexity of the subject but the new invention should be included by replacing old techniques," he said. He said that medical professionals and health workers should work together for the promotion of health sector in the country," he said.