24 April 2004	Saturday	03 Rabi-ul-Awwal 1425

LAHORE, April 23: Punjab Health Minister Dr Tahir Ali Javed has directed principals of all medical colleges and the attached teaching hospitals to make arrangements for re-introduction of institutional private practice by June 30.

The Punjab health department will re-impose the ban on private practice on July 1. The minister issued this direction while presiding over a departmental meeting that reviewed the Strengthening of Emergency Medical Services (SEMS) programme on Friday.

Punjab health secretary Sohail Ahmad and principals of all autonomous medical and health institutions attended the meeting. The minister also directed the principals to upgrade their respective institutions' emergency departments under the SEMS programme to ensure quality and timely medical facilities for patients.

He said the standard of emergency services in hospitals would be brought an a par with European standards. He said the emergency departments, to be manned by capable and efficient staff, would also offer all medicines free of cost.

He said the health department had already evolved a well-coordinated system for managing and planning emergency wards. In the second phase of SEMS, the health minister said free medicines would also be provided in emergency departments of tehsil and district headquarters hospitals.

He said dedicated staff would be appointed in emergency departments and offered a surplus amounting to 50 per cent of the basic pay.

The minister also directed the principals to ensure that their respective medical superintendents paid at least two visits to the emergency departments. He said the principals should ensure that senior registrars remained present for the emergencies round the clock.