Zafar forms committee to oversee reforms in Polyclinic

Islamabad : The Prime Minister’s Special Assistant on National Health Services Dr. Zafar Mirza Tuesday formed a committee that will plan and oversee the implementation of reforms at Federal Government Polyclinic Hospital as part of the government’s broader agenda to introduce transformative changes in the dispensation of health services in Islamabad.The complexion of the committee, which will have members from various relevant ministries, will be announced in a day. “The committee will meet on a weekly basis to take stock of the challenges in hand and will take immediate actions to ensure provision of seamless medical services,” Dr. Zafar stated during an announced visit to the hospital where its Executive Director Dr. Shahid Hanif briefed him about various developmental projects and the challenges facing the hospital.Dr. Zafar complimented the doctors for working hard despite having to operate in an environment in which the dispensation of duties is itself a huge challenge. “This hospital was established in 1966 as an 8-bedded facility and now has 550 beds, but with zero expansion in infrastructure. It is overcrowded and congested, and beset with too many problems,” Dr. Zafar stated after a visit to the hospital’s Emergency Department and various wards, where he interacted with patients to gain first-hand knowledge of the problems being encountered by them. The hospital caters to 7,000-8,000 patients on a daily basis.Referring to his discussions with the hospital’s administrators and doctors, Dr. Zafar said, we have reached consensus on the need to uplift Policlinic on an emergency basis and to introduce a referral system linking all dispensaries and basic health units allied with the hospital in a bid to reduce patient load.

from The News International - Islamabad http://bit.ly/2KbDqDa