PM announces Rs 2.5B for clean drinking water project in Pakistan
By Shiraz Afzal - Pakistan Times Staff Correspondent

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz has announced allocation of 2.5 billion rupees for clean drinking water programme and recruitment of additional 10,000 lady health workers to improve primary health care.

He was inaugurating a two-day Symposium at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences here Saturday.

The Prime Minister also announced that the government would ensure salaries for doctors, nurses and paramedics commensurate with their responsibilities.

The Prime Minister said he was most worried about growing prevalence of Hepatitis and asked the Health Ministry to spend the amount effectively to check spread of water borne diseases.

Shaukat Aziz said the government is trying to improve the basic health units so that the people in every part of the country can get basic preventive health care.

He was confident that addition of ten thousand lady health workers to the existing strength of seventy thousand would not only create more job opportunities for women but also improve the primary health care at the door-step of the masses.

DHQ Hospitals

The Prime Minister also emphasized the need to strengthen district headquarters hospitals to reduce load on institutions like PIMS. He said the government will take measures to address problems like shortage of doctors, equipment and basic facilities.

About tertiary health care, he said the government is encouraging institutions like PIMS. The Prime Minister said he has approved setting up of Burn and Cardiac Centres at the Institute.

Shaukat Aziz asked Health Ministry to take measures to upgrade the nursing care and encourage use of generic medicines. He also wanted improvement of trauma treatment and emergency care. He said there was need to restructure the whole process of approval for new medicines, pricing methodology and drug regime.

The Prime Minister told the audience that under the Fiscal Responsibility Law passed by the National Assembly recently, the government is bound to double spending on education and health by 2013. He said this year too the government is spending 42% more on health as compared to last year.

Directive to PIMS

Speaking on the occasion Health Minister Dr Naseer Khan said, he has directed PIMS authorities to establish good research protocols and methodology in concert with the SAARC countries and their institutions and also with other institutions in Europe and America.

He said introduction of BSc Nursing at PIMS will go a long way in improving the standards of nursing especially in post-operative care.

The Executive Director PIMS Prof Fazle Hadi highlighted the performance and achievements of the premier health institution.●