LAHORE: The Armed Forces Medical Services and the Punjab Healthcare Commission will cooperate and collaborate in certain areas for improving healthcare service delivery in their respective spheres.

This was resolved at the first meeting of a high-level joint consultative forum held at the commission’s office, says a press release.

The forum comprised Brig Shazia Sarwar Ali, Brig Hamid Jamal Siddiqui and Lt-Col Malik Muhammad Ilyas from the AFMS, while the PHC members were Director Clinical Governance and Organisational Standards Dr Mushtaq Ahmed Salariya, Director Licencing and Accreditation Dr Muhammad Anwar Janjua, Additional Director (Complaints) retired Brig Dr Shahid Mahmood, Additional Director (Inspections) Dr Muhammad Saleem Khokhar and AD (Quality Assurance) Dr Qamar Salman.

Earlier, the members met PHC Chief Operating Officer Dr Muhammad Ajmal Khan.

Both sides agreed to share standards and experiences in clinical governance, development of the minimum service delivery standards (MSDS) for the primary healthcare establishments of the army, bilateral visits of healthcare facilities and centres of excellence to witness the on-ground implementation of the quality assurance regimes, training of health managers and practitioners, collaboration in research, sharing of data, holding of interactive workshops, and regular orientation sessions for trainees courses of the Armed Forces Post Graduate Medical Institute.

It was also proposed that the quality assurance framework of centres of excellence of the Armed Forces Medical Services may be incorporated in the PHC accreditation standards.

Published in Dawn, March 23rd, 2018