By Our Staff Reporter
PESHAWAR - The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) government has recently informed the Supreme Court that it has enacted an Act in order to regulate the health services with strong deliveries in the province.
Resuming the hearing of a suo motu case on April 26 over deaths of more than 90 heart patients in Punjab Institute of Cardiology on account of spurious drugs, the apex court had sought a detailed report from all the provinces pertaining to measures taken for better health facilities in the public sector hospitals.
Submitting the report in pursuance of the court directives, Additional Advocate General KPK Waqar Ahmed Khan said that a commission will ensure the safety of patients, health of staff, besides improving the quality of public and private health care services in the province. The report said that KPK Health Care Commission Act, 2015 has been enacted on Jan 27, 2015 and, in accordance with the Act, there will be a commission and in terms of Section 6, the commission will perform such function and exercise such powers as may be required to ensure safety of patients and health staff and to improve quality of public and private health care services.
The provincial government further submitted that the commission will set standard or requirements for registration and licensing of health care establishment that ensure patient and health staff and to enforce minimum standards of patient and health care staff safety in public and private sectors. Similarly, the commission will also impose and collect fines in violation, breach on non-compliance of the provisions of rules, regulations and standards. Besides, the report further pointed out that a state-of-the-art cardiology department is fully functional in Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) while other hospitals, including KTH, HMC and ATH, have Cardiac Care Units.
Moreover, a 300-bed state-of-the-art Peshawar Institute of Cardiology is being established at Hayatabad at a cost of Rs 263.340 million, the AAG said, adding that the building of the Institute will be completed by June 30, 2016. The court was also informed that the PC-1 for purchasing equipment at an estimated cost of Rs 2500.00mand the creation of posts will be processed once the building is completed.