RAWALPINDI: The primary health department has asked officials to make preparations for Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s tour of health facilities across the four districts of the Rawalpindi Division on Friday.

The Punjab government is checking the condition of health facilities in eight districts of the province including Rawalpindi, Attock, Chakwal, Jhelum, Muzaffargarh, Multan, Wazirabad and Hafizabad.

The health facilities in Muzaffargarh and Multan were inspected during the last two days and the remaining districts will be inspected in the coming days. The Punjab government has allocated funds for the improvement of health funds in tehsils and small towns and the purpose of the visit is to check their condition and bring improvements before the upcoming general elections.

According to the directives issued by the Punjab primary health department to district health authorities, all medical superintendents should ensure their hospitals are clean, that the bed sheets are changed, medicines are stocked and all doctors are present. Laboratory technicians and pharmacists are to be in proper uniform. The department also advised that the chief minister will be especially focusing on outsourced services including janitorial services, medical gasses supply, security, parking and complaint management system.

A senior official of the health department told Dawn the condition of basic health units, rural health units and tehsil headquarter hospitals will be improved after these directives at least for a few days regardless of whether the chief minister visits.

He said a mechanism should be developed for keeping a check on the primary health department so they do not have to improve their services just when the chief minister visits.

When asked, District Health Authority Chief Executive Officer Dr Fayyaz Butt said the health authorities had already made arrangements and that the health units in the district were clean and had sufficient medical supplies for patients.

He said the health department was currently conducting health week for women and children and that special counters had been established in all tehsil hospitals and basic health units.

Published in Dawn, August 18th, 2017