The government has announced 50 percent extra pay for the doctors and the paramedical staff working in the emergency wards of the hospitals, said Rahat Qudusi, Punjab CM's Advisor on political affairs here on Saturday.
He was chairing the National Consultation on 'Expanded Programme for Immunisation' (EPI) to chalk out federal and provincial EPI branding plans for 2004-05, jointly organised by the United Nation International Children and Educational Fund (Unicef) and the Health Ministry.
During the consultation, it was recommended to use transit media (buses, wagons, chingchi, rickshaws) bill-boards and signboards in hospitals to regulate EPI in the minds of parents and children caretakers.
An advocacy campaign will be launched with the parliamentarians and the policy-makers to achieve the ultimate objective of branding EPI to raise immunisation concept.
Addressing the ceremony, Rahat Qudusi said that Rs 1 billion has been allocated for providing free medicines and surgical treatment to emergency patients.
He said to improve the level of basic health units, the Punjab government has amalgamated three basic health units in one district health unit to improve the quality of health services.
He informed that special package of Rs 30,000 has been announced for the doctor appointed in the district health unit with a grant of Rs 0.1 million and a vehicle for the easy mobility to check the progress of health units.
Experts from all over the country consulted to raise awareness and coverage of routine immunisation against seven disease, including TB, polio, diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, measles and Hepatitis - B.
Vitamin A drops will also be given to six months to five-year-old children along with the vaccination for the seven diseases, they said.
Health experts pointed out that recent survey reports revealed that some parents assume that after so many doses of the polio drops, there is no need of having the vaccines of other six diseases.
Experts clarified this is not correct, saying the fact is that the children need full course of the vaccination within one year after birth for the seven diseases.
"Polio vaccine protects the child against polio alone. children need to get immunisation for all the seven disease", they stressed.
The consultation was also focused on use of different communication channels for creating awareness and motivation to have the children vaccinated against seven disease along with the polio drops being given many times during every year.