January 26, 2008	Saturday	Muharram 16, 1429

RAWALPINDI, Jan 25: A Punjab chief minister’s inspection team on Friday visited the Rawalpindi General Hospital (RGH) to follow up complaints about poor health delivery system of the facility.

Several public complaints had been received by the Punjab government, in which people stated that despite receiving millions of rupees for its modernisation, the hospital was providing health services that were below the required standards.

Chief Minister Inspection Team (CMIT) chairman Brig (retired) Arsalan Ahmed Khan spent almost six hours in the hospital and questioned the hospital administration about the utilisation of funds which the Punjab government was spending on strengthening the emergency medical services programme of the hospital.

The inspection team monitored and evaluated the increasing load of patients and anticipated the future requirements.

Ongoing as well as new development projects for extension of existing medical facilities in the hospital also came under discussion between the inspection team and the hospital administration, said a press release issued by the Punjab Public Relations Department. However, it did not specify any new development project for the hospital.

There is no visible change in the overall structure of the RGH, previously called the Central Government Hospital (CGH).

The size of the hospital building remains the same as it was when the federal government handed over the administration of the hospital to the Punjab government, while its services not only shrunk but also declined.

In these terms, RGH has miserably failed to come up to the expectations of the people of Rawalpindi.

The inspection team’s chairman called upon the hospital staff to improve the health delivery system and ensure optimum utilisation of electro medical equipments and other diagnostic instruments so that all the relevant facilities could be extended to the patients.

CMIT member (General Health) Syed Tassaduq Hussain Bokhari accompanied Brig (retired) Arsalan Ahmed during the visit to the hospital. Also present on the occasion were Medical Superintendent Dr Habib Ahmed Khan, Dr Masood Pervaiz, Dr Fauzia, Dr Bashir Malik and Director Emergencies Dr Mujeeb Khan.