Pakistan’s Punjab Health Sector Reforms Programme (PHSRP) will monitor, through satellite technology, the activities of all doctors, nurses and paramedical staffs working in Basic Health Units, Rural Health Centres , Tehsil Headquarter Hospitals and District Headquarter Hospitals across the province.
It would be the first time in Pakistan that a satellite service would be used to monitor the performances of hospital staff in Pakistan. Earlier, doctors used this kind of technology but only to give live consultation to patients.
PHSRP had signed an agreement with Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) to arrange what is called a Geographic Information System (GIS) for the live coverage of hospital staff. A Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) will be used, which will be able to connect any hospital to the central monitoring room, located in the city. For this project, PHSRP has paid Rs 20 million to the SUPARCO management.
SUPARCO had a Telemedicine display unit connected to Jinnah Post Graduate Medical Centre (JPMC) in Karachi where live consultations were offered to patients. Two sites have been connected through the Paksat-1 satellite transponder: one at JPMC and the other at Shikapur civil hospital (interior Sindh).
The former chief minister (CM) of Punjab Ch Pervaiz Elahi had approved this project and had also directed the Punjab Health Department to introduce the concept of monitoring public hospitals across the province through satellite technology. Dr Amjad Shahzad, PHSRP Deputy Director, said all healthcare facilities would be linked to the central monitoring system, which would be set up in the head office of PHSRP in Lahore.