PHC, POS system issues discussed

LAHORE:The Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) Punjab has deliberated on issues like Punjab Healthcare Commission (PHC) and installation of the POS system by the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR).

The PMA Punjab's provincial council meeting was held under the chairmanship of Lt. Col. (Rtd) Dr Ghulam Shabbir, President PMA Punjab, here Sunday. PMA Punjab, General Secretary Dr Kamran Ahmed, President-Elect Dr Kamran Saeed, PMA Lahore President Prof. Ashraf Nizami, General Secretary Dr Shahid Malik and members of various provincial chapters from across Punjab attended the meeting.They discussed that the PHC was established to improve the quality of healthcare facilities in Punjab, but in the last 12 years we have not seen any significant improvement in this regard. PHC procedures and rules and regulations are copied from other countries which are not suited to our local conditions, infrastructure and human resources.

‘We hope that the PHC authorities will accept our requests, otherwise the doctors' community will be forced to act in their own way. The meeting also discussed the installation of POS system by the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR). The PMA stated, ‘As physicians, our first priority is to provide prompt treatment to patients.

We charge fees after treatment, which reflects the nature of our profession. It is the responsibility of the government to provide basic health facilities. The patients should not have to pay sales tax on medical treatment. Health is a basic human right and taxing it is immoral.