If you can afford to visit those pricey private hospitals, be grateful! That's because the poor segment is often left at the mercy of their fate in government hospitals particularly in far-flung areas. No thanks to the obsolete machinery, inadequate infrastructure and unavailability of medicines. But these are just one of the many setbacks of our health sector. To add to the woes, absenteeism of doctors in these hospitals remains at the core.
Ironically, this is despite of abundant resources being doled out in the name of health expenditures. Sadly, its utilization has always remained a knotty question. Here, the critics won't be in the wrong to blame the officials for the lack of political will in rural areas.
In this regard, the approval of implementation of health reforms in Punjab carries great importance. But that is to say only if it is genuinely implemented! Referring to the highlights of reforms, restructuring and restoring of hospitals, incentivizing doctors in remote areas, inventory control system of machinery and equipment, biometric attendance of staff in hospitals, making defective equipments and machinery operational, merit recruitments of vacant positions are the focus areas.
But, without vigilant supervision its all pointless! In other words, it will be yet health expenditure with no outcomes. Although Shahbaz Sharif in his statements stressed on the monitoring of system of supply, distribution and stock of medicines, a defined supervisory course of action is still in the air. An independent committee should be set up solely for the purpose of monitoring and supervision of resources and the progress of hospitals in this regard.
Let's hope its not just another political tactic and the government remains serious about the revamping of health sector.
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