LAHORE: Minister for Primary and Secondary Healthcare and Population Welfare Dr Jamal Nasir has announced that the medical superintendents of district headquarters (DHQ) hospitals have been granted the authority to approve expenditures up to Rs10 million for the efficient functioning of the hospitals and for meeting other urgent expenses, including the purchase of medicine and medical equipment, says a handout.

He said that under the vision of Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi, all possible measures are being taken to enhance the quality of public health facilities.

Dr Nasir clarified that no basic health unit (BHUs) or municipal dispensary will be closed, and the previous notification regarding closures has been withdrawn. Instead, these BHUs and dispensaries will be upgraded as filter clinics to provide improved treatment facilities to patients at the local level and to alleviate the burden on hospitals in larger cities.

The minister also announced a special grant of Rs20 million for the Mandi Bahauddin DHQ Hospital.

He said that the Punjab cabinet has approved changing the name of the DHQ hospital in Kasur to Baba Balhe Shah Hospital, and the District Headquarters Hospital in Faisalabad to Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan Hospital.

Furthermore, Dr Nasir said the management of hospitals under the Punjab Prison Department will now be handed over to the Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department. This will ensure access to quality medical facilities for prisoners, employees of the prison department, and their families.

Published in Dawn, July 18th, 2023