Minister promises all healthcare facilities even in far-flung areas

LAHORE: Punjab Health Minister Dr. Yasmin Rashid has said that the government is making all-out efforts to provide the best possible healthcare facilities to people even in far-flung areas of the country as per the vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan.

She was presiding over a meeting of the implementing team at the Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department (P&SHD), here on Saturday.

The meeting was called to review the upgradation status of the basic health units (BHUs) to 24/7 model as well as progress of work under the prime minister health initiative.

The minister said that upgradation of the BHUs to 24/7 model was under way as per plan, and it would be completed before the given deadline.

"Under this plan, all the BHUs will be upgraded to the 24/7 model to improve our indicators vis-à-vis mother and child health," she explained.

The minister said that Secretary P&SHD Captain (Retd) Usman Younis was personally supervising progress on it.

Dr Yasmin said after the upgradation, essential health services would be available to masses at their doorsteps.

"Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar has given us target to complete the upgradation as early as possible," the minister added.

The minister said that the upgradation process was being completed in three phases. "Our special focus is on revamping of the dilapidated BHUs," she added.

"As a frontline worker of the prime minister, I believe in performance alone and serving people, not sloganeering," the minister added.

She said the upgradation would help achieve the targets of the universal health coverage.

The P&SHD secretary, Additional Secretary Development Omar Farooq Alvi and other senior officials of the department attended the meeting.