MUHAMMAD SALEEM

LAHORE: A World Health Organisation (WHO) delegation has praised a string of reforms in the Punjab health sector, saying health indicators of disease prevention are encouraging with the Punjab leading the polio fight.

The delegation head, Dr Khalif Biley, meeting the chief minister’s Advisor on Health, Khawaja Salman Rafiq, on Saturday also stressed the need of close coordination of the Punjab Health Department with other provinces for knowledge sharing.

The other delegation members included the organisation’s provincial chief.

He assured that the organisation would continue to offer cooperation and provide technical assistance to improve the health indicators in the Punjab.

Advisor Rafiq said, “With a view to providing best medical treatment facilities to people of the Punjab, the government has taken concrete steps for the health sector development and facilities are being extended to the remote areas too.”

The delegation was briefed about the chief minister’s Health Roadmap Programme, upgradation of basic health units, rural health centres, the availability of medicines and that of doctors and nurses.

He told the delegation about the posting of specialist doctors at district and tehsil headquarters’ hospitals, legislation for strengthening the blood transfusion authority, Thalassemia control programme, and routine immunisation coverage and polio campaign.

The meeting also saw the presence of Health Medical Education and Specialised Institutions Special Secretary Gulzar Hussain Shah, her Secondary and Primary counterpart, Dr Sajid Chohan, Policy and Strategic Planning Unit Director Ali Bahadur Qazi and Health Department officers.