Govt Offering Incentives To Bring Doctors Back To Country, Punjab Assembly Told

Minister for Primary and Secondary Healthcare and Specialized Education Punjab Dr Yasmin Rashid Thursday told the Punjab Assembly that an exclusive incentives package was being offered to those medical teachers and doctors who had left the country for better salaries abroad, and they were being convinced to come back to the country

LAHORE, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 17th Jan, 2019 ) :Minister for Primary and Secondary Healthcare and Specialized education Punjab Dr Yasmin Rashid Thursday told the Punjab Assembly that an exclusive incentives package was being offered to those medical teachers and doctors who had left the country for better salaries abroad, and they were being convinced to come back to the country.

She said that the Health Department was acquiring land for construction of five new hospitals, and the provincial government was swiftly accomplishing projects in the health sector, even those initiated by the previous government.

"Concrete steps have been taken for provision of most advanced health facilities to commoners in all government hospitals," he added.

Answering queries by members regarding her ministry during the Question-Hour, the minister said that work on 200-bed children's hospital in Faisalabad was in progress and a sum of Rs 1.3 billion had been spent in the first phase, while more funds were required for completion of the state-of-the-art hospital.

Responding to a query by PML-N lawmaker Azma Bokhari, Dr Yasmin said that under the vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan's 'New Pakistan', European style healthcover was being implemented in hospitals.

When the minister pointed out that trained doctors/specialists showing reluctance to go to the hospitals in remote areas, Speaker Pervaiz Elahi suggested that special incentive package should be offered for wooing doctors/specialists.

"Besides enhancing their salaries, these doctors/ specialists could be awarded other facilities as well," he added.

Continuing, the health minister told the House that concerted efforts were being made to improve condition of hospitals, adding that the department had already prepared a plan to accommodate medical officers.

On a point of order, former health minister Punjab Khwaja Salman Rafiq proposed the government to continue the health sector projects, undertaken during the previous PML-N government without any prejudice.

The minister said that the age limit for retirement of doctors and other medical officers had been enhanced to 65 years.

The PA speaker suggested that the limit should be enhanced to 67 years.

The minister told another questioner that doctors at Rajanpur and DG Khan were drawing salaries over one lakh rupees besides other privileges and perks, adding that salary package for doctors in Gujranwala and Sahiwal hospitals were also being increased.