Minister Directs To Ensure Clean Drinking Water, Medicines In Hospitals

Punjab Minister for Specialized Healthcare & Medical Education (SH&ME) Khawaja Salman Rafique chaired a meeting of all the heads of Medical Educational Institutions and Medical Superintendents of teaching hospitals and Specialized Healthcare Institutions, here on Monday.

LAHORE, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 17th Apr, 2018 ) :Punjab Minister for Specialized Healthcare & Medical education (SH&ME) Khawaja Salman Rafique chaired a meeting of all the heads of Medical Educational Institutions and Medical Superintendents of teaching hospitals and Specialized Healthcare Institutions, here on Monday.

The meeting reviewed and evaluated the arrangements and the steps taken for the provision of safe drinking water in the hospitals as well as medical educational institutions, provision of free medicines in the emergency wards, Infection Control and Hospital Waste Management in the light of the orders of Supreme Court in this regard.

Secretary SH&ME Najam Ahmad Shah, Special Secretary Usman Mauzam, concerned officers of the department, experts from Public Health Department, WASA, Punjab food Authority, Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR), Vice Chancellors of Medical Universities, Principles of Medical Colleges and the Medical Superintendents and Executive Directors of Teaching Hospitals and Specialized Health Facilities participated in the video link meeting.

The Chief Engineer Public Health, Technical Expert of WASA and PCRWR briefed the participants regarding the method and SOPs of water quality checking, cleanliness of water tanks and water reservoirs, checking of water resource and chlorination.

Dr Rafia Haider of Punjab Food Authority informed that representatives of Punjab Food Authority had collected the water samples from the teaching hospitals for laboratory analysis. Secretary Health Najam Ahmad Shah directed the heads of Medical Institutions to conduct a survey/analysis of water resource of their institution/hospital and if there is any problem with regard to the water action should be taken according to the recommendations of the experts either deep boring of the tube well or installation of water filtration plant.

He also directed that a responsible official also be deputed for watch and ward for the provision of safe drinking water to the patients and their attendants. He said that no compromise would be made on the provision of clean drinking water in the medical educational institutions and the hospitals.

The Secretary warned the head of the institutions that inspection team of the department or any other institution might visit the hospital for random checking of quality of drinking water. Najam Ahmad Shah asked the participants of the meeting to ensure all the measures for this purpose within a month and heads of the institutions have to submit a certificate to Specialized Healthcare department for ensuring provision of safe drinking water, provision of free medicine in the emergency wards and infection control.

The meeting reviewed the arrangements and steps taken for the disposal of hospital waste management, functioning of incinerators and provision of free medicine. The heads of the institutions informed that 100 percent free medicine is being provided in the emergency wards of the hospitals, however in outdoor and indoor departments free medicine up to 80 percent is available.

It was informed that some results of medicines are lying pending with the Drug Testing Laboratories (DTLs). However, the hospital management is in contact with the officials of DTLs for early lab tests of the medicines.

Minister Health Khawaja Salman Rafique revealed that the honorable Supreme Court has also directed the DTL to complete the laboratory test of pending medicines within a month. All the Teaching Hospitals informed the progress in hospital waste management and installation of incinerators individually.

Secretary SH&ME Najam Shah asked the heads of the institutions that they should take the issues regarding the provision of clean drinking water, infection control and provision of free medicines in emergency wards seriously and every institution must constitute a committee as third party which should monitor all these arrangements regularly and submit a report to the head of the institution.

Khawaja Salman Rafique directed the officers that they should ensure provision of clean drinking water and should get guidance from the experts of Public Health Department, PCRWR and WASA.