Senate Body calls for stringent checks & balances in health institutions
ISLAMABAD, Oct 07 (EPI) : The Sub-committee of the Senate Standing Committee on National Health Services Regulations and Coordinations meeting held Friday under the convenership of Senator Rubina Khalid, convened to address the alarming concerns surrounding nursing institutions in Pakistan.
The Convener Committee Senator Rubina Khalid expressed profound dismay over the unreliable conduct of nurses emphasizing that this issue has tragically cost innocent lives. With deep concern, she called for stringent checks and balances to be implemented within these institutions.
The President of Pakistan Nursing Council and officials of the Ministry of National Health Services told the committee that they are conducting inspections as swiftly as possible.
Senator Rubina Khalid, demanded details of the five institutes closed by PNC and actions be taken against perpetrators. i.e Karachi Institute of Nursing, Asian College of Nursing, Jamia College of Nursing, Dr. Ruth College of Nursing, and SMK Institute of Nursing Shikarpur.
She urged that the institutes being closed down should be handed over to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA). Expressing her lamentation over the internal issues of incompetence and malfunctioning, she stressed the ministry to report their own personnel to the FIA, emphasizing the need to identify the root cause of the problem.
Moreover, Senator Jam Mehtab Hussain Dahar expressed his displeasure regarding the inefficiency of nursing institutes in Pakistan.
He highlighted the issue of government employees who own these institutes that produce fake degrees and incompetent nurses exacerbating the challenges within an already inefficient healthcare system. He also questioned the relevance of subjects used as eligibility criteria for nursing institutes, deeming them inappropriate for the qualification of nurses.
Senator Prof. Dr. Mehr Taj Roghani raised similar observations, emphasizing the lack of substantial progress despite numerous committee meetings. She urged that those responsible for the deteriorating nursing system should face strict consequences.
The Convener, Senator Rubina Khalid said that Ministry of Health be given an opportunity to address these challenges. She proposed making an entry test mandatory for nursing applicants and advocated for the inclusion of private institutes due to their greater credibility. She stressed that the quality of these institutes should never be compromised.
The Convener, Senator Rubina Khalid called for detailed information regarding licenses and inspections for the individuals responsible for granting licenses to nurses. She also directed for an inquiry into whether government employees, either from central or provincial government, can engage in other private jobs or open personal institutes after taking leave from their primary positions, examining whether this constitutes a conflict of interest or not?
The committee meeting was attended by Senator Prof. Dr. Mehr Taj Roghani, Senator Jam Mehtab Hussain Dahar, and senior officials from the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulation, and Coordination.
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