Punjab to introduce mobile health unit system

With initial cost of Rs 300 million, the Punjab government is going to introduce mobile health unit system in three tehsils of the province to extend quality health services to the people of those areas.
The mobile health unit system will comprise collapsible and non-collapsible diagnostic, invasive and non-invasive electro medical equipment and it would also provide health education material to public, Punjab Minister for Population Welfare Neelam Jabbar Chaudhry said on Wednesday.
She said that mobile health unit system will be stationed at tehsil headquarters hospital while destination of the unit would be rural health centre where it would administer services.
According to her, focus of the Punjab government is upon primary and protective health care and about Rs 3 billion would be spent on up-gradation of THQs and DHQs hospitals as well as establishment of new ones. The emergency services block would be constructed at 10 DHQs hospitals for which Rs 500 million have been allocated.
This would be a pro-poor and result-oriented intervention that would give a real boost to service delivery that needs to be expanded in a manner that people living in different districts and rural areas are provided quality healthcare services at their doorsteps.
She further said the government has planned to undertake construction of dedicated emergency blocks in a phased manner, which would be equipped with all necessary diagnostic and trauma facilities.
Sources in the health department told Business Recorder that the Punjab government has allocated an amount of Rs 12,025 million for the health sector in the provincial budget 2009-10. According to Annual Development Programme, the government will spend Rs 1880 million on preventive and primary health care, Rs 3940 million on accelerated programme for health care, Rs 3981 for tertiary car hospitals, Rs 1932 million for medical education and Rs 292 on research and development.
In view of the rising trend of water borne diseases and resultant load on health facilities, the government has allocated Rs 8.5 billion to expand the facilities of potable drinking water and sanitation coverage for rural and urban populations, the sources added.
With a network of 2,748 primary healthcare (PHC) facilities spread over an area of 205,345km, the Punjab government has initiated a two-year Health Sector Reforms Programme (HSRP) to make the primary healthcare network of 2,456 basic health units and 292 rural health centres fully operational, sources concluded.