Daily Times

LAHORE: Advisor to Punjab Chief Minister on Health Khawaja Salman Rafique has said in order to provide medical cover to people through qualified doctors, eradicate quackery and provide for self-employment opportunities, the Punjab Health Foundation is all set to introduce smart loan scheme for young doctors.

The PHF board of governors has given approval for the plan. While attending a meeting of the BoGs on Monday, Rafique said that the loans would be sanctioned on personal guarantee, while the limit would be up to Rs 0.7 million. Moreover, he added, the health foundation was already providing interest-free loans to doctors from Rs 1.2 million to Rs 2.5 million.

Rafique appreciated the administrative skills of Dr Suhail Saqlain, saying that new menaging director had made the foundation vibrant within two months and so far loans amounting to Rs 40 million had been disbursed, while recovery of Rs 7.5 million had been made from defaulters. Dr Suhail Saqlain said that restructuring of the PHF had been started on modern lines.

Earlier, the BoGs meeting was attended by MD Dr Suhail Saqlain, Planning and Development Member (Health) Dr Shabana Haider, senior officials of finance, social welfare, population welfare departments, Punjab Information Technology Board and Punjab Healthcare Commission.

The meeting approved setting up of ‘Vision Clinics’ to overcome the problem of blindness and early diagnoses of eye diseases. These clinics would be set up with the collaboration of the Institute of Ophthalmology, King Edward Medical University. The meeting agreed with the proposal to provide soft loans to the allied health professionals.

Akhuwat Foundation Chairman Dr Amjad Saqib would extend consultancy in preparing SOPs and terms of reference (ToRs) for the loan scheme. Punjab Information Technology Board would provide technical assistance for shifting the entire system of PHF on automation.

Dr Suhail said that in future the entire process of sanctioning of loans would be made paperless and all formalities would be carried out online. He said that online system would not only promote transparency and merit in the system but also save time.

Later, Khawaja Salman Raffique distributed cheques of interest-free loans of Rs 10 million among 10 doctors.