Daily Times

A terrible year – indeed the most terrible our generation has seen. It was like watching a cinematic version of what we read about the 1918 Flu Pandemic and the Great Depression of 1930s that shaped up much of what happened in the last century and how it is today. Scenes sifted fast; perhaps it is an emotional rollercoaster that did not leave scant time for soul searching and serious introspection. A year down the line, we were painting our new-year resolutions with hope and optimism. They were lost somewhere in doom and gloom of a dreadful year. Survival amid Pandemic now tops the list of resolutions.

Pakistan has faced the Pandemic in a much better way than its neighbors, something acknowledged world over. Punjab even performed even better. Punjab comprises 53% of Pakistan’s population yet the province accounts for merely 28% of COVID-19 cases. The woman at the heart of this crisis was Punjab Health Minister Dr. Yasmin Rashid. She was subjected to unnecessary political controversies, she was criticized, she had an age constraint, yet what a victory it was. At 70, she was at the frontline in the Pandemic, visiting hospitals, monitoring corona hospital wards and setting the trail ablaze. On the sidelines, there is a separate debate on women being more capable leaders. Leaving aside Punjab under Dr. Yasmin Rashid, New Zealand under Jacinda Ardern, Taiwan under Tsai Ing-wen and Germany under Angela Merkel have set examples of how to manage a crisis. Dr. Yasmin Rashid’s success is a bright spot of Pakistani women. Right from day one, she showed clarity, empathy and an invisible motherly connection with the people, steering her people to safety, as a mother saves her children.

At hindsight it would be appropriate to how history judges here. But I would like to document some of the key initiatives to draw the larger picture on how history will remember her. Let us remember that the Corona Pandemic has brought the economies of developed countries to their knees. The United States, Mexico, Brazil, Western Europe and India are still struggling to face the Corona Pandemic. Nearly 1.8 million people have lost their lives to the Pandemic worldwide.

Starting the year, she worked tirelessly to improve the testing capacity to its current level of nearly 15,000 tests a day. It has been increased manifold since the Pandemic began. By the start of the Pandemic, we had capacity of 300 to 400 tests in Punjab. As per guidelines by the WHO, 18 new BSL-3 Labs were developed in the province out of whom 9 were developed in
Lahore alone.

She has remained focused on implementation of SOPs and Punjab was the first to open educational institutions. Contact tracing was immediately started in areas with high number of cases, smart lockdown were enforced.

During the Pandemic, arrangements for 20,000 patients were made. The number of ventilators was enhanced multiple times. As compared to other provinces, the mortality rate in Punjab has remained very low. Read it with this that under her leadership, Punjab filled over 50 per cent vacant positions. For the first time in history 32,000 healthcare professionals were recruited through transparent process. On every level, merit was observed and the details were issued online.

When she took over, around 50,000 beds were available in public sector hospitals. Now Punjab has multiplied its capacity. She has organized the workings of the departments under Punjab Health Sector Strategy, outlining defined goals on yearly basis. Punjab is moving under an organized roadmap to achieve the targets set by the Sustainable Development Goals. In different districts of Punjab, seven Mother and Child hospitals are being developed. The largest of these hospitals is 600 bedded Mother and Child Hospital at Ganga Ram which will be fully functional by the end of 2021. In Public Sector, no hospital of this class was ever built in Punjab.

In this hospital, neo-natal nursery facility will be available. In addition to that. Mother & Child Hospitals with 200 beds are being developed in Mianwali, Sialkot, Rajanpur, Attock Layyah and Bahawalnagar. In the past nursing capacity and performance was never a priority. In the five Mother and Child Hospitals, Nursing Colleges are being built. In Sialkot and Lahore, Nursing Colleges are already being set up. In Multan, Nishtar 2, a large 500 bedded hospital is being developed which will be complete by 2022.

The Ganga Ram Mother and Child Hospital will cost around Rs. 7 billion. A lot of funds have been released to improve mother and child health. In Gujrat, state-of-the-art Mother and Child Hospital is also in the pipeline. In Dera Ghazi Khan, a new cardiology hospital is being developed. So far we have Cardiology institutions in Lahore, Multan, Faisalabad and
Rawalpindi.

Despite the Pandemic, Punjab is now moving to provide Universal Health Coverage to the entire population. After the completion of first phase in which cards were distributed to people living below poverty line, the Sehat Insaf Cards will be now provided to general population. The first phase has been started in Sahiwal and Dera Ghazi Khan. So far cards have been distributed to 5.2 million families. Over 2 lakh people have availed the facility. To facilitate the holders of the Sehat Insaf Cards, 273 private hospitals have been empanelled. For cardholders, 20,000 beds have been added so that deserving people can avail the facility of free treatment. Patients have utilized the cards to get treatment of cardiac, dialysis and other diseases.

Under Dr. Yasmin Rashid, Basic Health Units in eight districts have been upgraded to 24/7 model. More BHUs have been set up after which the BHUs have increased to 1280. Punjab is going all out to make all 2500 BHUs 24/7 in a year. Pregnant women are now transferred to public sector hospitals through free ambulance service in case of emergency. The Health Department is providing free services to hundreds of thousands of patients through vertical programs.

The Rawalpindi Institute of Urology that has been under construction since 2012 has been made functional. The Wazirabad Institute of Cardiology has been made fully functional and the scope of this institution is being enhanced. Punjab has introduced a system for hospital waste management. In 26 districts, incinerators have been set up. The District Headquarters hospitals are working in coordination with Teaching Hospitals. In the Specialized Healthcare department, the hospital waste will be disposed off through micro wave technology and its PC-1 is being developed.

Her focus is improvement of Mother and Child Health and Expanded Program on Immunization.

The problem of access of vaccinators in certain areas had existed for long due to which more vaccinators have been hired in Punjab. The program continued to operate during the lockdown.

Under this program, more than one lakh health professionals were trained. Over 614 EPI Centers have been rehabilitated. Under the IRMNCH Program, 1280 THQs have been made 24/7.  For children facing malnutrition, 58 stabilization centers have been set up. From 1st October, the pilot project of Well Women Clinic is being started in Lahore and Nankana where screening services for women will be provided.

Teaching Hospitals faced a big problem of regular faculty which has been overcome by strategic intervention. She took pain to expedite the promotion process by holding fortnightly meetings of Promotion Committee for Professors, Assistant Professor and Doctors.

More than 500 teaching faculty has been recruited and over 5000 nurses out of whom 500 male nurses were recruited. In the last 2 years, requisition for 851 has been sent to Punjab Public Service Commission. So far 856 doctors have been promoted to the next grade. During the Corona Pandemic, home delivery of medicines was made possible for patients getting treatment
at the PIC.

Towards the fag end of the year 2020, the Health Minister underwent a surgery, battling cancer.

She showed fortitude by returning back to work in no time. For her courage, wisdom, strength and resilience, she will remain forever etched in history as a role model for women.

The writer is a Program Development Expert in the Punjab Health Department Lahore