LAHORE: Dr Jamal Nasir, the Caretaker Punjab Minister for Primary and Secondary Healthcare, assured the medical community of the province that there would be no sealing of clinics and laboratories without prior warning to doctors, vowing to ensure the provision of their rights and upholding their dignity.
He said this in his keynote address at the inauguration of the 33rd FAMILYCON-2023, hosted by the Pakistan Academy of Family Physicians.
Dr Nasir reassured attendees that qualified doctors' clinics and laboratories would not be sealed without prior notification, asking the Punjab Healthcare Commission (PHC) to act judiciously and only for valid reasons.
The conference featured a keynote lecture by Prof Dr Arshad Malik, focusing on the management of submandibular space abscess, providing valuable insights for the attending healthcare professionals.
Dr Nasir proposed an strengthening of healthcare inspections by incorporating at least one doctor in the PHC's inspection teams. He stressed the importance of involving doctors in relevant fields to evaluate specialised healthcare facilities during inspections, enhancing the scrutiny process for comprehensive assessments.
Addressing the sensitive issue of the transfer and posting of doctors in government hospitals, Dr Nasir clarified that his department retained sole authority in this matter, saying that district administration officers did not possess such jurisdiction.
The minister said it was satisfying for him that the hospitals running under his department have achieved 100 percent medicine availability, adding it shows the government's commitment to enhancing the province's healthcare service delivery system under the leadership of Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi.
Expressing solidarity with the medical community, Dr Nasir commended doctors’ efforts, particularly those attending to multiple patients on a single bed. He assured them of the government's resolve to preserve the dignity of doctors and discourage any form of disrespectful behavior towards them, calling for unity within the medical profession to uphold its honour.
The event was also attended by Prof Dr Ais Muhammad, Dr Tariq Mian, and Dr Naveed Ahmed Bhatti, adding valuable insights to the discourse on healthcare in the province.
