Punjab allows doctors ‘private practice’ in social security hospitals

LAHORE: The government has given permission of private practice to doctors in social security hospitals and the income collected from Institutional Private Practice (IPP) will be spent on development projects and to equip hospital with modern machinery.

This was disclosed by Punjab Minister for Labour Ansar Majeed Khan Niazi in a ceremony held in Rehmatul-lil-Alameen Social Security Hospital here on Friday. Secretary Labour Punjab Liaqat Ali, Commissioner Punjab Employees Social Security Institution (PESSI) Bilal Haider and MS Naeem Baig attended the ceremony.

The minister said that a separate counter will be established for private patients and the private practice will be allowed only in the evening. The Labour department is digitising its working to make things better for labourers, he added.

Labour Department will issue Mazdoor Cards to more than 1.1 million labourers for which the scrutiny of data is under process. The printing process of ‘Mazdoor Card’ linked with bank account would be started after verification of all the data.

Secretary Labour said that digitisation in Rehmatul lil Alameen hospital has made the system more transparent. All the other PESSI hospitals will be digitised within two years, he said. Commissioner PESSI said that 60 percent of the income acquired from IPP would be spent on staff of the hospital whereas 30 percent income would be spent only on the development of the hospital, the commissioner said.