LAHORE: Provincial Minister for Health and Emergency Services Khawaja Salman Rafique has said that Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz Sharif has expanded the scope of emergency services to every union council.
“A life-saving program was launched under the leadership of the Chief Minister Punjab. Air ambulance service in Punjab is continuing very successfully. Alhamdulillah, emergency services are being started on the motorway very soon,” Salman said while addressing a function. He further said that by providing timely emergency services in Punjab, the nation has been saved from the loss of billions of rupees and precious lives.
Moreover, Punjab Minister for Specialized Healthcare and Medical Education Department Khawaja Salman Rafique, Minister for Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department Khawaja Imran Nazir and WHO’s Deputy WHO Representative in Pakistan Ellen Mpangananji Thom formally inaugurated the Nutrition Stabilization Center at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital.
Speaking on the occasion, Khawaja Salman said the Punjab government is committed to improve nutrition indicators in all districts of the province. He said, “The Nutrition Stabilization Center (NSC) along with Training Halls is refurbished in Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Lahore with WHO support for which we are grateful to them. This NSC has a monthly patient burden of around 30-35 children under the age of 5 suffering from severe acute malnutrition with medical complications. Annually, around 500 children of SAM with complications are treated in this NSC.”
Minister for Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department Khawaja Imran Nazir said that both health departments are working jointly to address issue of malnutrition. He said the IRMNCH program has initiated screening programs at district level and annually 0.5 million children are screened.
“School Health Nutrition Supervisors are continuously engaged in public and private schools to monitor the nutrition status among school going children. A technical working group having members from both the departments shall prepare to develop similar centers across Punjab,” he said.
Vice Chancellor Fatima Jinnah Medical University Prof. Khalid Masood Gondal said that the Nutrition Stabilization serves as a model site for Training purposes. “This NSC is compliant with the updated wasting protocols and currently managing the children below 6 months according to the new 2023 WHO’s Wasting Guidelines,” he said.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024
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