Punjab: Young doctors to get 50pc raise: Shahbaz

[Naveed Yaseen]

PUNJAB Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif has announced 50 per cent increase in emoluments of house job and postgraduate trainees in public hospitals.

He made the announcement during a meeting with 48-member delegation of the young doctors at the Chief Minister’s Secretariat here on Saturday. During the meeting, which lasted more than three hours, matters regarding uplift of health sector and treatment of patients as well as other issues were discussed in detail. Principals, chief executives and professors of various medical colleges were present on this occasion.

The chief minister directed the doctors to take up the responsibility of serving the ailing humanity and provision of treatment facilities to the patients as a challenge and show commitment and dedication. He also issued orders for the establishment of a high level committee for formulating recommendations for provision of medical facilities to the common man, ensuring attendance of doctors and paramedics in public hospitals besides availability of medicines and improvement of sanitary conditions. He said recommendations of the committee should be aimed at improvement of health facilities.

Shahbaz said that medicine was a noble profession and doctors were performing a sacred responsibility of treating the sick. He said that during his exile, he had personally observed the treatment facilities being provided to the patients in London and it was pleasant to see that medical help was extended to the patients without any discrimination of caste, colour and creed.

However, he said, the situation was totally different in Pakistan as the elite had all medical facilities and officers, politicians, judges as well as other important personalities could go abroad on government expenditures for treatment whereas millions of the poor people were deprived of even basic treatment.

Shahbaz said that during his visit to Rahimyar Khan, he had himself observed the pathetic condition of hospitals and was shocked to see that medical equipments worth hundreds of thousands of rupees covered in thick layers of dust and people lacked basic medical facilities. He said despite a lapse of 60 years, we had not been able to transform the country into an Islamic welfare state as was envisioned by Quaid-e-Azam. He said improvement of health sector was his top priority as only healthy people could form a healthy society.

Mian Shahbaz Sharif said time had come to move forward and it was the responsibility of young doctors to play an active role for the development of health sector. He said that young doctors should help eliminate corruption from hospitals and ease the sufferings of patients.

He said he was ready to do everything for doctors but they would have to perform their responsibilities regarding treatment of patients with sincerity and hard work. He said doctors could go abroad for higher education but they should return to the country for serving the masses. Referring to the death a 24-year-old youth of Hazara at the Services Hospital, the chief minister said the youth lost his life due to criminal negligence of the medical staff concerned and the case of his death was got registered by his brother in the police station. He said the Chief Minister’s Inspection Team failed to locate the family of the deceased only because he was a poor person. He said a solid roadmap would have to be evolved for improving the health sector.

The chief minister said salaries and service structure of doctors was being improved, however, doctors would have to take practical measures for bringing about a positive change.

Young doctors thanked the chief minister and assured that they would work with honesty and commitment to come up to his expectations. They said they wanted to serve the masses but only two per cent members of the community were trying to bring a bad name to the whole community but their efforts would be foiled.

MNA Ayyaz Sadiq, MPAs Dr Asad Ashraf and Ahmad Hussain Dahar, the Health secretary and the Finance secretary were also present on the occasion.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=144454