LAHORE: Punjab Healthcare Commission (PHC) Chief Operating Officer (COO) Dr Muhammad Ajmal Khan inaugurated on Friday the commission’s regional office in Multan.

Addressing the inaugural ceremony, Dr Khan said the purpose of setting up regional office was to address complaints of people of south Punjab and its adjoining areas at their doorsteps.

He said the PHC was the first statutory body in Punjab to regulate healthcare services and at the same time develop and enforce Minimum Service Delivery Standards (MSDS) at all levels by promoting a culture of clinical governance.

In addition, he said eradicating quackery in all its forms and manifestations was also the mandate of the commission, according to a press release.

“The commission is intended to establish its regional offices in Faisalabad and Rawalpindi divisions shortly,” he added. The PHC has already registered over 31,000 healthcare establishments and issued over 17,000 licences to facilitate people with quality healthcare services. To check quackery, during last 15 months it took action against over 4,000 quacks and imposed a fine of over Rs2 million.

Multan District Coordination Officer Nadir Chattha on the occasion expressed gratitude to the commission for its efforts towards addressing quackery and promoting high-quality healthcare services in the region.

He assured of his full cooperation towards achieving the objectives so as to ensure provision of standardised and high-quality healthcare facilities for all.

Published in Dawn, October 22nd, 2016