Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, while directing to hold third-party inspection of private medical colleges, said that measures should be proposed to regulate those colleges with mutual consultation and a suitable way forward. He passed these directions while chairing a high-level meeting which reviewed progress on different reforms initiated in the health sector as well as ongoing programmes of providing quality healthcare facilities to the people.
While addressing the meeting, Shahbaz said that merit had been promoted at every level in the province by the Punjab government and implementation on merit policy for admissions in private medical colleges would also be ensured. "I have neither violated the merit policy till today nor have allowed anybody to do so. Merit is the only option for qualitative improvements in the medical sector," he said. He said every possible step would be adopted to improve the medical education as "we are responsible for it besides being answerable to the people."
Shahbaz further said all the concerned departments were totally empowered and they would have to perform their duties diligently. Their effective steps would be welcomed for the solution of problems, he added. He said special incentive package would be given to overcome the shortage of MPhil and PhD degree holders in the health sector. In this regard, the health department should ensure implementation on the proposals presented to it.
He said record funds had been allocated for the health sector in the budget and every sort of resources would be provided for improvement in healthcare facilities. He said that primary and secondary healthcare department had presented a wonderful plan to eradicate the viral diseases and directed that this plan should be implemented at every cost. The anti-dengue model should be followed for the eradication of viral diseases, he added.
Provincial Ministers Kh Salman Rafiq, Kh Imran Nazir, Dr Ayesha Ghaus Pasha, Advisor Dr Umer Saif, MPA Mukhtar Ahmed Bharat, Chairman P&D and administrative secretaries of concerned departments attended the meeting while the chief secretary participated through video link. Meanwhile, Shahbaz Sharif paid a surprise visit to Pakistan's pioneering state-of-the-art model graveyard (Shehar-e-Khamoshan) which had been established in Kahna Nau area of the provincial metropolis. He inspected different facilities provided in the graveyard for burial purposes.
While talking on the occasion, Shahbaz said that wonderful facilities had been provided for burial purposes in that graveyard. He said the best arrangements had been made in the graveyard to keep the dead bodies in cold storage during the hot summer weather and added that a suitable place had also been provided for funeral prayer.
He said the construction of model graveyards in Multan, Faisalabad and Sargodha was in progress while such modern graveyards would also be established in other cities of the province. He commended the performance of DG CM's Strategic Reforms Unit and acting DG of Punjab Shehar-e-Khamoshan Authority Salman Sufi & his team and said they had worked very hard on that project.