Clinical audit to improve service delivery in hospitals, says minister

LAHORE: Provincial Health Ministers Khawaja Salman Rafique said conducting clinical audit in government hospitals will improve service delivery to people. There will be no compromise on the quality of treatment in government hospitals.

He said this addressing the third health advisory meeting in the Department of Specialised Healthcare and Medical Education on Saturday. Provincial Health Ministers Khawaja Salman Rafique and Kh Imran Nazir reviewed the suggestions of experts for improving the health system. Secretary Health Ali Jan Khan gave a briefing on public health projects at the division level.

Kh Salman Rafique said that provincial health ministry is working day and night to provide better health facilities to the people. We have to increase the efficiency of small government hospitals to reduce the rush of patients in big hospitals and address the shortcomings in service delivery.

He said referral system in government hospitals has to be improved. The purpose of setting up a think tank is to give relief to the people. We are working to provide better health facilities to people at their doorstep. The health department will be active against black sheep and we want to make 2024 the year of operational improvement in government hospitals.

Khawaja Imran Nazir said that the presence of experienced experts can play a key role in the improvement of health system. We are working on a war footing to improve the health system, he added.

Dr Urooj Fatima Gilani, Uzmi from P&D, Secretary Health Ali Jan Khan, Special Secretaries Syed Wajid Ali Shah, Raja Mansoor Ahmed and M Iqbal, King Edward Medical University Vice Chancellor Prof Mahmood Ayaz, Additional Secretary Technical Dr Hafiz Shahid Latif, Noor Al-Ain Qureshi from Finance Department, Dr Adnan Khan from Sharif Medical Hospital, Dr Zahid Pervez, Prof Ali Ayaz Sadiq, Dr Naeem Majeed and others participated.

Health Advisor Dr Azhar Mehmood Kayani, Prof Farqad Alamgir, Haroon Latif, Shahab Khawaja, Saira Iftikhar and others participated in the meeting through video link.

Meanwhile, Provincial Health Minister Khawaja Salman Rafique visited Pakistan Children's Heart Foundation. Chairman Farhan Ahmed briefed Khawaja Salman Rafique about the working details of the Foundation.

The minister visited the hospital under construction in a private university. He visited and reviewed the medical facilities. MS Dr Zahid Parvez gave a briefing in this regard. On this occasion, chairman of the university Owais Rauf, MS Dr Zahid Parvez, Amara Owais, Farhan Ahmed, Dr Ali Nasir, Dr Arsal, Dr Asim, Ayesha, Hajra, Fawad, Prof Uzmi and others were present.

The minister said that the capacity of cardiology departments in Jinnah Hospital, Mayo Hospital, Ganga Ram Hospital, Wazirabad and Faisalabad is being increased. The number of children born with heart disease in Pakistan is unfortunately increasing every year. We are trying to increase the number of surgeries in public cardiology hospitals. We are going to build a state-of-the-art Nawaz Sharif Cardiology Hospital in Sargodha. Pakistan Children's Heart Foundation is with them in this good effort. Khawaja Salman Rafique said that under the leadership of the chief minister, we are creating ease for the people. In Punjab, unfortunately, a ban was imposed on the recruitment of teaching cadre for five years. He appreciated the efforts of Pakistan Children's Heart Foundation in serving humanity.