LAHORE: Minister for Primary and Secondary Healthcare Khawaja Imran Nazir urged doctors on Saturday to shun private practice and focus on serving the masses. Imran Nazir said that hard working employees would be rewarded and punishment would be given to those who did not perform their duty. “For this purpose, a policy has been introduced in the Primary and Secondary Health Department. The performance evaluation of all the staff of the department is being carried out on a monthly basis,” he said. The minister said this while presiding over a meeting of medical superintendents of all the DHQ and THQ hospitals on Saturday. Health Secretary Ali Jan Khan, Health Director General Dr Akhtar Rasheed Malik, IRMNCH Program Director Dr Mukhtar Hussain Syed, Additional Secretary Dr Sadain, Project Management Unit Director Muhammad Usman, team members of PMU and other officers of the department also attended the monthly conference. Imran Nazir issued directions to the Health secretary for taking disciplinary action against the five doctors of various hospitals who had referred the patients from the government hospitals to their clinics/private hospitals without any solid reason. During the meeting performance of all hospitals was evaluated individually. Patient average turnover per doctor was also presented during the briefing. The meeting reviewed the treatment facilities, development work in the hospitals, deployment of trained staff, revamping of the hospitals and the outcome of outsourced non-clinical services. The meeting was informed that appointment orders of 74 pharmacists had been issued to deploy them in the DHQ and THQ hospitals. Health Secretary Ali Jan Khan said that specialized units were being set up in DHQ and THQ hospitals and for this purpose special training to the nurses was also being imparted in the teaching hospitals. The Health secretary said that after completion of specialised training, the nurses should not be posted on general duty, but they should be given assignments according to their specialty. Health Minister Imran Nazir said that the department was gathering data of referred patients from public sector hospitals to the private clinics/hospitals on a monthly basis. He said that strict action would be taken against those doctors who referred the patients to their clinics for monitory benefits without any solid reason. On the occasion, Imran Nazir directed Health Secretary Ali Jan Khan to take disciplinary action against Dr Ali Imran of THQ Hospital Burewala, Dr Rubina Hafeez of DHQ Bahawalnagar, Dr Khalida Bilal of THQ Chishtian, Dr Zeeshan of THQ Hospital Raiwind and Dr Urmilla Ratti of DHQ Rajanpur on charges of referring patients to the private clinics. The minister said that the government would protect the rights of poor patients and nobody would be allowed to exploit them. He said that doctors who were serving in government hospitals but trying to promote their private business should quit their government jobs and then start doing private practice. The minister said that the patients of seasonal influenza H1N1 should only be shifted to the teaching hospitals through the ambulances of Rescue 1122. Imran Nazir warned that no such patients should be left unattended. Imran Nazir directed the medical superintendents that the next two weeks were crucial regarding the seasonal influenza. “Therefore, you must all remain alert,” he said. The minister said that technical committee constituted by Chief Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif was monitoring the situation on daily basis and all steps were being taken to control the disease. Published in Daily Times, January 21st 2018.