All government hospitals would provide free treatment facilities to the children housed in the Child Protection and Welfare Bureau while teenage children would be brought in groups to the Children Hospital where pediatricians would check them. Advisor to Chief Minister Punjab on Health Kh Salman Rafique said this during his visit to Child Protection & Welfare Bureau on Friday.
On this occasion, Chairperson Begum Saba Sadiq, Mrs Shumalia Salman Rafique, DG Health Dr Zahid Pervaiz, Director Health (HQ) Dr Jamil Chaudhry, Director General Children Protection Bureau Muhammad Yasrab Hanjra, Medical Director Children Hospital Lahore Professor Dr Ahsan Waheed Rathore and a team of pediatricians was also accompanied with him. Chairperson Begum Saba Sadiq told the Advisor that formal education as well as vocational training is being imparted to the children of the Bureau so that they could become self-reliant.
She informed that about 300 orphans, shelter-less and poor children are living in Child Protection & Welfare Bureau. She said that sometime parents drop their children in the institute due to poverty and there are many children who are deprived of love and affection as their parents have divorced. Saba Sadiq said that a few children have been brought to the Bureau from the heaps of garbage. She said that workers of the Institute are looking after these children in the best possible manner.
She said that a pediatrician Dr Ahmed Nadeem is available in the Bureau but services of one doctor are insufficient. She also informed that Child Protection & Welfare Bureau is also working in other districts. She said that services of a gynaecologist are also required for girls. Salman Rafique announced that all government hospitals including Lahore and other districts would provide free treatment facilities to the inmates of Child Protection Bureau. He asked DG Health to issue instructions to the administration of all government hospitals in Punjab in this regard.
He regretted that separation of parents and other socio-economic problems badly affect the future of children. She said that parents must think about the future of their children before indulging in disputes. Salman Rafique said that support and look after of orphans, shelter-less and poor children is the collective responsibility of government and the society and philanthropists should come forward to play an active role in this regard. He said that a committee comprising of ladies would be constituted with the consultation of the Bureau to resolve the problems of the children.
Moreover, a delegation of International College of Ambulance, Health Department Ireland, headed by Macartan Huges, Head of Department Educational Ambulance Services-NASC-Dublin Ireland and Dr R K Shehzad Managing Director Disaster Response of Ireland held a meeting with Secretary Health Dr Ijaz Muneer. Dr Haq Nawaz Bharwana, Medical Superintendent of Government Said Mitha Teaching Hospital Lahore was also present in the meeting.
The Irish Team render his services to give training and complete awareness to the doctors, nurses and paramedics attached with ambulance service of all the hospitals in Punjab and provision of equipment for the ambulance services. The Secretary Health appreciated the Services of Irish team for Punjab and desired to upgrade the ambulance services and to run it in the latest way at all hospitals at District Headquarter hospital level in Punjab. The Irish team leader said that Government Said Mitha Teaching Hospital Lahore will be selected as pilot project. Remember it that the same delegation visited Government Said Mitha Teaching Hospital, Lahore in this regard.