The Punjab Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department will recruit 120 specialist doctors in the Social Security Hospitals. In this regard, Punjab Caretaker Minister for Primary and Secondary Healthcare Dr. Jamal Nasir has directed to publish advertisement at the earliest besides filling vacancies of paramedics in these hospitals in order to provide treatment to the increased number of patients as a result of opening these hospitals for common citizens.
He was chairing a meeting of the special committee to formulate recommendations for making arrangements for treatment of common citizens in social security hospitals. He directed to create additional posts of paramedics in social security hospitals in view of the forthcoming requirements.
He said that on the directions by Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi, social security hospitals would continue to provide treatment facilities to the industrial workers on priority basis. However,he added that these hospitals would also look after the common citizens in near future. He directed that emergency wards should also be activated at social security hospitals and medical assistance should be provided to every citizen who came there.
The minister informed that the Punjab government would provide financial assistance to social security hospitals for conducting cardiac procedures and C-section of pregnant women. Dr. Jamal Nasir said that state of the art medical facilities available in the social security hospitals have been underutilized. The government wants to take advantage of these facilities to provide their benefit to the common citizens as well, he added.
He informed that the bed occupancy in these hospitals is only 64 percent. He directed that recommendations for making necessary arrangements for treatment of common citizens in social security hospitals should be finalized immediately. Dr. Jamal Nasir assured that the treatment of industrial workers and their families in social security hospitals would continue on priority basis. He cleared the government of Punjab would pay the cost of treatment of general patients to the social security hospitals. He observed that opening social security hospitals for ordinary citizens would reduce the pressure of patients on big government hospitals in the province including in the provincial capital. He said that the capacity of social security hospitals is also being enhanced to treat more patients.