LAHORE: More than 35 experts from 21 districts reviewed the draft of the minimum service delivery standards (MSDS) for dialysis units and centers at a consultative workshop by the Punjab Healthcare Commission (PHC) on Wednesday.

Nephrologists, radiologists and other medical specialists of Nishtar Hospital, Bahawalpur Victoria Hospital, Benazir Bhutto Shaheed Hospital, Shaukat Khanum Memorial Hospital, Ganga Ram Hospital, Services Hospital, Jinnah Hospital, Shaikh Zayed Hospital, Munshi Hospital, Fatima Memorial Hospital, Children’s Hospital and district headquarter hospitals reviewed the draft and contributed with their expert opinion and professional experiences.

Prof Dr Hafiz Ijaz (Pakistan Kidney and Liver Institute), Prof Aizaz Mand Ahmad (Ittefaq Hospital) and Dr Noman Tarif (Fatima Memorial Hospital) recommended some changes in the draft.

The draft would be finalised after formal endorsement by the technical advisory committee of the PHC and approval by its Board of Commissioners and sent to the Punjab government for notification.

The salient features of the draft MSDS include care of the patient, quality assurance, management of the medication and infection control, management of medical record of the patient, assurance of patient health and safety.

PHC Chief Operating Officer Dr Ajmal Khan said that the MSDS define a set of the benchmarks for minimum level of mandatory services that dialysis units and centers should achieve.

These standards have been developed only in Pakistan in the Saarc region, with a systematic, integrated and institutionalised approach.

Published in Dawn, March 2nd, 2017