Grand Health Alliance ends Lahore sit-in after acceptance of virus-related demands

LAHORE: The Specialized Healthcare and Medical Education (SHCME) Department and Grand Health Alliance (GHA) on Friday reached an agreement on latter’s demands and consequently announced end to their sit-in at Health Secretariat, The News reported.

Secretary SHCME Department Nabeel Awan held conclusive negotiations with the GHA Friday night and both signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU). 

Additional Secretary SHCME Asif Tufail and representatives of GHA, including Young Doctors Association (YDA) Punjab Senior Vice President (SVP) Dr Shoaib Niazi, Young Nurses Association (YNA) Sir Ganga Ram Hospital (SGRH) President Shazia, and Punjab Paramedical Staff Association (PPSA) Lahore President Arshad Butt participated in the meeting.

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Under the agreement, the department will thoroughly scrutinise the death of staff nurse, Sadaf Jamil, who was serving at the coronavirus ward of the DHQ teaching hospital, Gujrat and died while on duty.

The department will devise a mechanism to ensure the gradual screening of doctors and other health providers. In order to ensure equitable availability of Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) to all health providers as per World Health Organisation (WHO) criteria, committees at hospital level will be constituted and representation will be ensured from doctors, nurses and paramedical staff to monitor optimal distribution PPEs. 

The GHA will nominate three persons for each hospital and one of them will be nominated by the Medical Superintendent/Head of Department.

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Dedicated hospitals/facilities will be provided for the asymptomatic virus-affected doctors and other healthcare providers at divisional level or wherever required.

DSouble basic pay will be given to all those healthcare professionals, who are dealing with established positive virus patients as per rosters, attendance registers and clinical record, issued by the head of department (HoD) and the institution concerned. 

Detailed methodology will be issued by the department to ensure a fair, easy and transparent method, the agreement details.

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Life insurance against the coronavirus for all health professionals working in hospitals has been approved by the cabinet and will be implemented, the agreement further states.

A committee comprising an eminent retired professor/principal, an officer of the department and a representative of GHA will be constituted to examine the cases of termination of ad-hoc appointed doctors, show-cause notices of doctors and nurses, suspension of paramedics and extension of ad-hoc appointments, and advise the department. 

Originally published in The News