LAHORE: The CM Health Vigilance Squad has been established for monitoring in government hospitals of Punjab.

Chairing a meeting on Tuesday, Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz directed the authorities concerned to take action within 24 hours on the monitoring and checking reports of the government hospitals.

“Three squads will start working as a pilot project soon. It will include doctors, pharmacists, biomedical engineers, budget accounts officers and data experts,” a handout said. The squad will check medicines, duty roster, clinical services, biomedical equipment and other matters in hospitals.

The CM directed the squad to prepare a comprehensive checklist for the surveillance team and approved the establishment of a special ‘Directorate of Monitoring’ under the Health and Population Department.

It said separate units would be established in the directorate for district, tehsil hospitals and health centres. The surveillance room in the directorate would work 24/7.

According to a handout, gastroenterology services will be made available in the government hospitals across Punjab.

“A gastroenterology centre will be established in the Services Hospital,” it said and added the emergency wards and trauma centres would work in tehsil and district hospitals. A special trauma centre will be established at the Faisal Masood Teaching Hospital, Sargodha; a cardiology ward will be established in the Teaching Hospital of Gujranwala; four operating theatres will be functionalised with modern medical equipment at the Cardiology Institute of Multan.

Published in Dawn, July 16th, 2025