KARACHI: Federal cabinet approves cadaver organ bill
KARACHI, June 29: The federal cabinet has approved the cadaver organ donation bill and this being currently vet by the law department will be put before the National Assembly in the forthcoming session.
This was stated by Federal Health Minister Mohammad Naseer Khan while chairing a meeting at the Jinnah Post Graduate Medical Centre here on Thursday.
He said that the government under the fiscal year 2006-07 had allocated special funds to provide free of charge dialysis services to the poor patients at all the federal government hospitals.
The federal minister said that this free dialysis service at the federal government hospitals would be complimented with free of charge diagnostic facilities including scanning and MRI.
He said that the prime minister only recently had also approved early detection and prevention of breast cancer which again would be initiated at the federal government hospitals.
“To ensure that the women population may not have any hesitation in visiting and availing the facility the staff concerned right from receptionists, paramedics, radiologists, and surgeons will be women,” Mr Khan elaborated.
On the occasion, the federal minister issued strict directives to curtail all forms of activities, undertaken by professional bodies with political affiliations, within the premises of federal government health care facilities.
He said that the government was fully committed to the well-being of hospital staffers and for the very purpose had made a 50 per cent increase in their special allowance for the fiscal 2006-07.
“However, we at the same time will ensure that the staffers perform for the relief and cure of the patients and not behave in a manner that may cause inconvenience,” he said referring to the reported conflicts among different bodies of the staffers, holding affiliation with one or the other political party.
“This cannot be tolerated,” he told the meeting which among others was also attended by the representatives of nurses, paramedics and junior doctors.
The minister asked JPMC Director Prof Mashoor Alam and Prof Afroze Ramzan of the National Institute of Child
Health (NICH) to inform their staffers, including paramedics, doctors etc. to understand that their political ambitions could not go along with their professional responsibilities at their work place.
He clarified that neither processions could be taken nor any programme be it entertainment or otherwise could be arranged/ held by any such professional bodies with political ties within the hospital premises.
“No indiscipline will be tolerated and strict action will be taken against violators,” the minister added saying that graffiti and holding of banners would also not be allowed.
The health minister also announced that a National Convention for Nurses would be held at Islamabad in the next two weeks, at which President Musharraf would formally handover promotion letters from Grade 14 to 16 and above to the nurses while nursing superintendents would get promotion letters from Grade 16 to 17.—APP
