The Punjab Healthcare Commission (PHC) has issued new guidelines for emergency departments of the public and private hospitals to improve the quality of emergency healthcare services.
For orientation on these guidelines and to work out strategies for thorough implementation, a seminar jointly chaired by Chief Executive Officer PHC Dr Muhammad Saqib Aziz and Secretary Specialized Healthcare and Medical Education Department Dr Ahmed Javed Qazi was organised at the Punjab Institute of Neuro Sciences (PINS), here on Wednesday.
Executive Director PINS Professor of Neurosurgery Dr Khalid Mehmood, in his welcome note, lauded the 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 provision of emergency care in accordance with the scope of services of the respective HCEs. 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 specialised 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.
