RECORDER REPORT

FAISALABAD: Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination (MONHSRC) will sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry (FCCI) to provide free diagnostic and treatment facilities to the industrial workers of this division, said Zubair Director MONHSRC.

Addressing a meeting at FCCI here on Monday, he explained in detail the most prevalent diseases in Pakistan and told that TB and Hepatitis are increasing which are also infesting their family members and colleagues. He said that under this programme the federal government has sufficient funds, however, in order to achieve the given targets a focused approach has been adopted under which we will only concentrate on industrial workers. In this connection, the FCCI will nominate the units where the purpose build laboratory van will visit along with doctors and paramedical staff. “They will check the entire lot of workers and those infested with TB and Hepatitis viruses will be treated on sustained basis. He further said that the dispensary of this industrial unit will be declared as Basic Management Unit from where the ailing workers will get the required medicines on permanent basis.

Responding to a question Zubair said that MONHSRC does not need any financial help from FCCI, however, it want that chamber should take the ownership of this program to make it productive and result-oriented. He said that most of the patients were reluctant to visit government hospitals as it would deprive them from their daily remuneration. He said that the van will visit these industrial units and provide them medicines at their workplace. He said that ailing workers as well as government spent thousands of rupees on their treatment while with necessary precautionary measures they could avoid themselves from these diseases.

He hoped that chamber will fully exploit the media to create awareness among the industrial community. Similarly, the ownership of this program means that office-bearers of the FCCI should take the staff of this program while attending various functions where they could also explain the necessary precautionary measures to avoid from these diseases. “FCCI could also display banners for the awareness and guidance of the general public”, he said and added that in the first stage only specified industrial units will be provided with this facility. However, in later phase its scope could be enhanced to other units of unorganized sector. He said that one van has capacity to screen out 200 to 250 patients per day. Hence, it should be sent to those units or cluster of units where at least these numbers of workers are available.