Advisor to Chief Minister Punjab on Health Khawaja Salman Rafique has said that government would not hesitate to outsource the Basic Health Units (BHUs) to ensure provision of health facilities at the doorsteps of the people. He said that government responsibility is to provide budget, policy making and to ensure implementation on it however, officers are the main source to implement the government policies in the field. He said that decentralization of powers is essential for good governance. Kh. Salman Rafique further said that age relaxation for medical teachers and doctors would be need base and it would be given only on those institutions where the medical teachers are required immediately.
He said this while addressing a consultative meeting arranged by policy and strategy planning unit (PSPU) of Health Department at a local hotel for considering age relaxation proposal for contract appointments of medical teachers and medical officers for BHUs. Secretary Health Jawad Rafique Malik, DG Health Dr. Zahid Pervaiz, Project Director PSPU Ali Bahadur Qazi, retired and in-service principals, professors of medical colleges, members of Chief Minister Health Roadmap Team, EDOs Health of different districts, medical superintendents of government hospitals, representatives of PRSP, PMA and health experts attended the meeting. The participants of the meeting expressed their views and gave different proposals on the issue. An analysis of the recommendations and views of the participants was presented by the organizers according to which 59 percent gave their consent to age relaxation upto 65 years to the doctors while 12 percent recommended relaxation of age upto 70 years whereas 14 percent opposed the proposal. Secretary Health Jawad Rafique Malik said that we have to find solution to the problem at any cost. He observed that if retired professors and doctors can run the medical colleges/ hospitals of private sector why government should not benefit from their services even after retirement. Secretary Health said that government is producing a doctor in only Rs.18 thousand per annum even than our BHUs are not fully occupied by the medical officers. He said that after vigorous efforts 66 percent vacancies of medical officers at BHUs have been filled. He said that government has to arranged alternate solution if young doctors would not go to the BHUs and relaxation in age for contract appointment of a doctor is one of the options. Similarly, same policy would be adopted at medical colleges to overcome the shortage of medical teachers. Jawad Rafique Malik said that it will be a need base policy. He said that government would also resolve the issues of infrastructure of health centers, doctors’ security, etc. He said that survey of deserted BHUs would be conducted through EDOs Health and such non-functional health centers would be shifted in a building in the populous area to provide treatment facilities to the people. He said that government is also considering a proposal to get a bound from the newly graduate doctors for mandatory service of 2 years in periphery.
Kh. Salman Rafique said that short term, midterm and long term policies are being evolved to overcome the shortage of medical teachers and doctors. He said that Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif has given special package of Rs.1.5 billion for specialist doctors at DHQ and THQ hospitals and the specialist doctors started to join these hospitals. He said that different packages and steps are being considered to functional the BHUs however, immediate solution to cope with the shortage of medical teachers and doctors is to give age relaxation for their contract appointment for specific period. Kh. Salman Rafique observed that at the retirement of professors, the department of that facility was become headless in various teaching hospitals due to which not only patients faced difficulties but under trainee FCPs doctors also faced hardships of their training. He said that rules are prepared for the welfare of people which can be amended or changed according to the requirement of the hour. DG Health Dr. Zahid Pervaiz said that results of consultative meetings were very encouraging and a fruitful debate on the subject was carried out which would helpful for decision making. He said that by introducing latest monitoring tools, e-monitoring and dashboard everything come in black & white and now nobody can hide their good or bad performance.
