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Peshawar, July 24 2013 (PPI-OT): The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Health and spokesman of the provincial government Shaukat Ali Yousafazi, has stated that the PTI provincial government will start recruiting ad hoc doctors in the public sector hospitals with in week and in this connection all the chief executives, medical superintendents and DHOs had been asked to provide details regarding shortage of doctors, paramedics and medical equipments.
He was addressing a function arranged in the Department of Ophthalmology at the Lady Reading Hospital, Peshawar on the occasion of the inauguration of Diabetes Retinopathy Screening Service on Wednesday. The function was also addressed by the Chief Executive LRH Prof. Dr. Arshad Javed and Chief of Ophthalmology Department Prof. Dr. Zafar Iqbal who threw light on the importance and advantages of the Diabetes Retinopathy Screening Service.
Dr. Zafar Iqbal said that about 0.2 million diabetes patients required the said screening service and after installation of that latest machine millions of diabetes patients would get the latest facility at their door steps. The minister health appreciated the efforts of Dr. Zafar Iqbal in the installation of the machine. He said that unluckily no attention was paid to the health and education sectors in the past. He said that lofty promises had been made with the people but practically nothing had been done.
He said both health and education were the main priority sectors of the PTI government and efforts were being under way to make both the sectors actually according to the will of the people. He said all the heads of the hospitals had been directed to get least rates from the patients for MRI, CT Scan and other costly tests as their aim was not to earn money from the hospitals but to give facilities to the people.
The minister health said that liver transplant was also an expensive treatment and was out of the reach of the poor. He said it would be his outmost effort to start liver transplant service in the province and make it free for the poor and needy people.
He called upon the doctors to keep sanctity of their medical profession above all and serve the ailing humanity according to the basic concept of the profession. He said those who were serving the people honestly and devotedly would not only be rewarded in this world but they had also a good place with the Almighty Allah in the day of judgement.
He said those coming to the hospitals were mostly the poor ones and they had no other support. He said it was the need of the hour that the doctors could change their bahaviour with the patients and face them with good manners.
The minister regretted that performance of the public sector hospitals and medical institutions was very discouraging as compared to the private sector hospitals and in spite of the fact that the government was utilizing bulk of investment in the hospitals there had been least improvement.
He said the focus of the government’s efforts was not to construct lofty buildings but to upgrade the existing hospitals, dispensaries, RHCs, BHUs and to equip them with latest facilities so that the patients could get the latest medical facilities there and the load on the three main city hospitals could be reduced.
For more information, contact:
Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Tel: 091 921 1789
Email: info@khyberpakhtunkhwa.gov.pk