Daily Times

LAHORE: A paediatric referral system is being set up in Punjab with a view to have optimum utilisation of the available facilities of medical treatment for children in teaching hospitals and to reduce the workload at the Children hospital, Lahore.

As a pilot project, the referral system between different public sector hospitals and Children Hospital would be established in which private hospitals would also be included.

Punjab Specialised Healthcare and Medical Education Secretary Najam Ahmed Shah disclosed this during a meeting on Friday. King Edward Medical University Vice Chancellor Prof Faisal Masood, Children Hospital Dean Prof Masood Sadiq, Manchester University representative Prof Jalil Mian, Additional Secretary (Health) Prof Syed Muhammad Owais and Admin Director Asad Naeem along with other concerned officers attended the meeting.

Prof Masood Sadiq briefed about the project and informed that every teaching hospital has a full-fledged paediatric department besides all relevant medical treatment facilities, but children suffering from minor ailments were referred to the Children hospital.

He said that a large number of children with minor diseases were also being referred from private hospitals to the Children Hospital due to which not only treatment facilities were being compromised but the children and their parents were also facing difficulties.

SH&ME Secretary Najam Ahmed Shah directed that the children hospitals of Multan and Faisalabad should also be strengthened. He said that a regional referral system would be established in the first step and nominated Prof Masood Sadiq as the focal person and nominee of Punjab government for this pilot project under which a referral system among Mayo Hospital, Jinnah Hospital, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital and General Hospital with the Children Hospital would be established, while the private hospitals from where children were referred to the Institute of Child Health and Children Hospital, would also be included in the system.

Najam Ahmed Shah directed that the children hospitals should enhance capacity building, impart training to human resource of the said hospitals and also provide help and guidance to these hospitals. He said that the Punjab IT Board would be asked to prepare connectivity network for this purpose. He directed that a focal person in every hospital should be nominated to supervise the referral system in the hospitals. He also directed that input from the representatives of Pakistan Paediatric Association and Family Physician should also be obtained for this purpose.

Prof Masood Sadiq informed that all the district headquarter hospitals as well as tehsil headquarter hospitals have paediatricians who can easily treat the children with common and minor diseases at local level, which would not only minimise the difficulties of parents and children but would also reduce their travelling expenditures.