GUJRAT: The Gujrat health department has sought permission from provincial health authorities to form the health councils in three more civil hospitals, six maternity hospitals and a trauma centre in the district.

The councils are already working at the tehsil headquarters hospitals, the rural health centres (RHCs) and the basic health units (BHUs).

Gujrat Chief Executive Officer (CEO) health Dr Abid Ghauri, in a formal request to the Punjab secretary primary and secondary healthcare, sought permission to form health councils in civil hospitals at Jalalpur Jattan, Kotla Arab Ali Khan and Dinga, the maternity hospitals in Gujrat, Tanda, Mungowal, Gulliana, Dinga and Lalamusa and the Lalamusa Trauma Centre.

In addition to the formation of the health councils, the CEO has also demanded funds for these health facilities.

The health councils were earlier established in four THQ hospitals at Kunjah, Kharian, Sara-i-Alamgir and Lalamusa and nine RHCs and 90 BHUs. In the first phase, three THQ hospitals were granted Rs5m and an amount of Rs0.5m was allocated for each RHC and Rs200,000 for each BHU.

CEO Dr Ghauri said the request had been made to get benefit of the Punjab government’s policy of providing free treatment and medicines to the patients visiting these health facilities and funds would be spent through the health councils for transparency and improvement in performance of the health sector.

Published in Dawn, February 22nd, 2017