Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif said on Saturday that basic changes would have to be made in healthcare system for providing latest and quality medical facilities to the people at their doorstep. He said this while talking to media and addressing a function held on the occasion of 11th annual meeting of Pakistan Paediatric Cardiology and Cardiac Surgeons Society at Children Hospital here on Saturday.
Shahbaz maintained that there was a need to improve healthcare system for providing quality health facilities to the common man. He said medical experts should give practicable proposals for improving healthcare system which would be implemented in letter and spirit. He said renowned doctors and medical experts of Pakistan had won laurels for the country and the nation through their knowledge and experiences throughout the world. He said there was a need that they should play their effective role for improving health system in the country.
The CM said Children Hospital Lahore was providing best treatment facilities to the children and such institutions should not only be set up in Punjab but other areas of the country as well. He said there was a need to expand scope of medical facilities being provided to the children in Children Hospital through satellite so that latest treatment facilities could be made available to the people living in far-flung areas and government was ready to provide all out resources for that purpose.
Advisor on Health Kh Salman Rafique, Secretary Health Jawaad Rafique Malik, Medical Director Children Hospital Ahsan Waheed Rathore, President Pakistan Paediatric Cardiology and Cardiac Surgeons Society Professor Kaleem ud Din Aziz, Dean and Chairman Organising Committee Professor Masood Sadiq, Professor Shakeel Qureshi, foreign delegates, surgeons, professors and doctors attended the function in large numbers. Addressing the function, Shahbaz said that it was an honour and pleasure for him to attend that function and meet those great messiahs who had always played an active role in serving the ailing humanity. He said doctors, nurses and paramedical staff had always served the ailing humanity with devotion and dedication during earthquake, flood or any other natural calamity.
The CM said Punjab was facing worst flood of the history which had caused massive destruction, displaced lakhs of people and damaged standing crops on thousands of acres of land. He said doctors helped their brothers and sisters in that hour of trial and provided best treatment facilities.
Shahbaz said that unfortunately desired results could not be achieved from basic and rural health centres and their performance had become a question mark. He said Punjab government had imported six mobile units from Holland in 2011. He said those health units equipped with diagnostic equipments of providing modern treatment facilities to the people of far-flung areas of South Punjab at their doorstep whereas performance of basic and rural health centers are not up to the mark.
He said professors and doctors should suggest such practicable solution as could ensure provision of quality health facilities continuously in far-flung areas. He said that best treatment facilities were available to the elites whereas widow, orphan, poor worker and common man are deprived of basic medical facilities. Shahbaz Sharif said "we have to provide modern medical facilities to the common man by improving healthcare system. Therefore, medical experts and Pakistani doctors working in America, Europe and other countries should give concrete proposals in the light of their experiences for this purpose as every Pakistani is looking towards them and as a Pakistani, this country and its people have right first over them," he added.
The CM said journey was long, challenge was big but destiny could be achieved through hard work, devotion and dedication. "If you will be able to improve healthcare system in the light of your experiences, the coming generations will also feel pride on you," he said. He added that short, medium and long term practicable solution should be proposed as we have to overcome that challenge collectively.
Shahbaz Sharif said, no doubt, there was shortage of human resources in medical field and people belonging to that profession did not go to far-flung villages. He said the improvement of healthcare system was a big challenge and "we have to accept it jointly and will have to march forward by making collective efforts for providing medical facilities to 180 million people."
He said due to increasing pressure of patients in Children Hospital, there was a need to enhance that facility and by providing that facility at divisional level, people would not have to bring their children in Lahore. He directed to constitute a committee for making indoor building of Children Hospital functional at the earliest and that committee should submit its report within a week. He directed Advisor on Health Kh Salman Rafique and Secretary Health to prepare and submit recommendations with regard to granting financial and administrative autonomy and other matters relating to this institution.
Professor Dr Masood Sadiq threw light on the aims and objectives of the conference and said delegates from Turkey, America, UK, India, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, Indonesia and other countries were participating in the conference and their experiences would be benefited. He also informed about the medical facilities being provided to the children suffering from cardiac diseases in the Children Hospital. He stated that MoUs were being signed with JB Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi and a hospital of London for treatment of cardiac diseases. Professor Masood Sadiq said that after becoming indoor building functional in Children Hospital, facility of paediatric surgery will increase three times annually. Professor Dr Kaleem ud Din Aziz and Professor Shakeel Qureshi also addressed the conference.