- A seminar was organised at the PINS.
- PHC realised arrangements hospitals’ emergencies were insufficient
- PHC Directors presented salient features of the guidelines
LAHORE: The Punjab Healthcare Commission (PHC) has issued new guidelines for emergency departments of public and private hospitals to improve the quality of emergency healthcare services.
For orientation on these guidelines and to workout strategies for thorough implementation, a seminar was organised at the Punjab Institute of Neuro Sciences (PINS), which was jointly chaired by Chief Executive Officer PHC Dr Muhammad Saqib Aziz and Secretary Specialised Healthcare and Medical Education Department Dr Ahmed Javed Qazi. Executive Director PINS Professor of Neurosurgery Dr Khalid Mehmood, in his welcome note, lauded PHC for providing comprehensive guidelines.
Dr Saqib Aziz, in his opening remarks, said that the minimum service delivery standards (MSDS) require the healthcare establishments to make necessary arrangements for the provision of emergency care in accordance with the scope of services of the respective HCEs.
[embedpost slug=”phc-raids-2722-treatment-centres-seal-525-businesses/”]
He also informed that, during inspections of 28 hospitals, the PHC had realised that the arrangements in most of the hospitals for dealing with emergencies were not up to the required standards. He enlisted three major issues, that is, mindset, the lukewarm will to implement MSDS and the sustainability of implementation over longer periods. “Hospital culture is rife with inefficiencies and apathy, and negligence to professionalism and ethics are marring efforts to improve service delivery,” he added, while hoping that implementation of standards would bring betterment to service delivery. He also mentioned that the MSDS were being revised, and the grading of hospitals was also in the offing. He underlined the need for training of medics, and the availability of specialized care in emergencies round the clock.
Secretary Dr Ahmed Javed Qazi emphasised the importance of handling medical emergencies, and vowed to fill in the gaps in service delivery, and pay heed to the suggestions made by the PHC and its team. He appreciated the PHC for taking initiatives to improve healthcare service delivery in all types of healthcare establishments across the province. Dr Qazi also talked about various steps being taken by the government to bring betterment in the health sector.
PHC Directors PHC Dr Mushtaq Ahmed Salariya and Dr Muhammad Anwar Janjua presented salient features of the guidelines, and informed that the PHC had finalised the guidelines in consultation with the hospital emergency experts by incorporating contemporary legal provisions and regional best practices. They mentioned that ground realities including the workload, capacity of the hospitals in terms of bed strength, infrastructure, existing operational systems, and limitations regarding logistics, finances, qualifications, training, skills and competence level of the available number of medical, nursing and allied health professionals had also been duly considered.
Administrators of hospitals, including Medical Superintendent Lahore General Hospital Dr Khalid bin Aslam and health managers, also attended the meeting, while a large number participated via video calling.
