21 FGH temporary doctors to go regular in coming weeks: Mirza

ISLAMABAD, Dec 19 (APP):Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination Dr Zafar Mirza Thursday said the 21 doctors working on contract basis at Federal Government Hospital (FGH) would be regularized in the coming weeks.

The principle agreement of the authorities concerned was made on this issue whereas the implementation of the decision would be initiated soon, he added.

Addressing the inaugural ceremony of newly built Outdoor Patients Department (OPD) at the FGH, he said the OPD was earlier in a pathetic situation due to lack of proper rooms and facilities.

“The old OPD under the National Institute of Health (NIG) Allergy Centre had only 7 rooms where the patients, doctors and paramedics were all facing congestion. The new building has three-storey compound with 19 rooms that would be sufficient to deal with the increasing number of patients visiting the hospital,” he added.

Dr Zafar Mirza said this new OPD and upgradation of Basic Health Units (BHUs) was part of the larger vision to provide universal healthcare coverage in the country.

“We are trying to develop a model focusing primary healthcare comprising of BHUs and Rural Health Centres (RHUs) to tackle 60-70 percent complaints and disease burden at the basic level. We are going to set up online database of all public hospitals, BHUs and RHUs operating in the federal capital for detectable and identifiable information of patients’ health profile which would support the new system,” Dr Zafar Mirza said.

The ministry, he said was working out the Essential Health Services Package under which the primary healthcare system falls comprising updated BHUs and RHUs. Under this system, the workload capacity of 60-70 percent patients would be maintained at the primary level.

Moreover, the staff allocation or redistribution of healthcare workforce of doctors, paramedics, nurses, and medical technicians would be decided under this package, he added.

He said the model healthcare system to be introduced by the government needed to be understood by the doctors fraternity and a conference would be organized in this regard.

Speaking on the occasion Dr Shahid Ansari said the hospital was dealing 3 lac patients visit at the FGH which would increase further after the inauguration of the OPD.

We had also submitted a PC-1 of Rs75 million for the hospital and to get four ambulances which was seriously required at the hospital, he added.

Three new departments comprising dermatology, orthopedics and neurology would also be initiated at the new OPD.

The new OPD is a purpose built OPD with mother and child care, child, surgery, medicine, eye and ENT (Ear, nose, throat) specialists. It also possessed patient safety and public health department alongwith physiotherapy block in the basement.