Punjab govt forms Advisory Committee on Burn Care, Plastic Surgery

LAHORE: The Punjab government has constituted a Steering / Advisory Committee for Burn Care and Reconstructive Plastic Surgery under the supervision of senior health professionals.

Former Executive Director Jinnah Burn and Reconstructive Surgery Center Prof. Dr. Moazzam Nazir Tarar will be the convener of the committee. Retired Professor of Pediatric Plastic Surgery Prof. Farrukh Mahmood, Prof. Abdul Hakim Babar, Principal DG Khan Medical College Professor Muhammad Bilal Saeed, Professor of Plastic Surgery King Edward Medical University Lahore Professor Dr. Mustahsan Bashir, Senior Consultant Plastic Surgeon South Med Hospital UK Dr. Umreez Khan and Additional Secretary Technical Department Specialized Health Care and Medical Education will be part of the committee.

As per TORs, the committee will serve as an advisory body for the government initiatives taken across the province related to Burn Care and Reconstructive Plastic Surgery. The committee will review all existing policies and initiatives related to Burn Care and Reconstructive Plastic Surgery. The committee will identify the problems faced by Burn Care and Reconstructive Plastic Surgery patients. The committee will provide guidance on planning and implementation of the initiatives taken across the province related to Burn Care and Reconstructive Plastic Surgery. The committee will formulate recommendations for improving the healthcare system and service delivery for better treatment of Burn Care and Reconstructive Plastic Surgery patients. The committee will coordinate fully with local, national and international organizations for better treatment of burn care and reconstructive plastic surgery patients.

Moreover, provincial Health Minister Khawaja Salman Rafique, while addressing a meeting said the Punjab government is developing the health system in South Punjab on modern lines and provision of Hub and Spoke Model in Zahir Pir and modern machines in Nishtar Hospital Multan will prove to be a big relief for the people of the region.

The meeting, which was attended by Secretary Health Punjab Azmat Mahmood Khan and others, discussed in detail the pilot program to be launched under the Hub and Spoke model in Zahir Pir, Rahim Yar Khan District and the availability of PET scan and Cyclotron machine in Nishtar Hospital Multan.

The provincial health minister was briefed in the meeting that the central hub to be established in Zahir Pir will be linked to the basic health centers (spokes) of the surrounding rural areas. This hub and spoke model will provide timely treatment, better referral system and quality health facilities to patients. Under this model, an effective system will be established to immediately connect complex patients to larger centers. The meeting was informed that with the availability of PET Scan and Cyclotron machine in Nishtar Hospital Multan, modern diagnostic facilities can be provided to cancer and other complex diseases patients of southern Punjab at the local level, which will save them from Lahore or other cities. Khawaja Salman Rafique said that the Punjab government is developing the health system in South Punjab on modern lines. He directed the concerned departments to ensure speedy and transparent implementation of both the projects. He further said that based on the success of the pilot program, it will be extended to other districts of Punjab.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026