PESHAWAR: The Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has decided in principle to establish specialized Children Emergency Rooms and Telemedicine Satellite Centers in public sector hospitals in order to reduce infant mortality rate and ensure the availability of quality emergency care facilities to children in the province.

The decision was taken at a meeting held here the other day with Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Sardar Ali Amin Khan Gandapur in the chair, said a press release issued here on Tuesday. Besides, the Provincial Minister for Health Syed Qasim Ali Shah, Advisor to CM for Finance Muzamil Aslam, Additional Chief Secretary for Planning and Development, Syed Imtiaz Hussain Shah, Secretary Health Adeel Shah and high ups of Child Life Foundation also attended the meeting.

While briefing the participants about the proposed program for setting up the Emergency Rooms and Telemedicine Satellite Centers, it was told that nine state of the art Emergency Rooms and 100 Telemedicine Satellite Centers would be established with the aim to ensure availability of quality emergency healthcare facilities to children at their door steps adding that the proposed Emergency Rooms and Telemedicine Centers would be equipped with modern instruments alongside 24/7 availability of specialized doctors and other paramedical staff.

It was agreed in the meeting that a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to this effect will be signed between provincial health department and Child Life foundation after the formal approval of the provincial cabinet.

Speaking on the occasion, the chief minister termed the establishment of Emergency Rooms and Telemedicine Centers as need of the day and directed the quarters concerned for finalization of home-work as soon as possible and table the matter before the cabinet for formal approval.

He termed the reforms in health sector and provision of quality healthcare facilities to citizens as one of the priority areas of his government and said that the incumbent government would not only encourage adoption of latest technology for this purpose but will also provide required resources on priority basis.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024