LAHORE – Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has officially taken over the authority to approve foreign leave for government employees, ending the previous delegation of this power to departmental administrative secretaries.
According to a new directive issued by the Punjab Health Department, all medical universities, colleges, and hospitals have been informed that from now on, only the chief minister will approve foreign leave (Ex-Pakistan Leave) for doctors, nurses, paramedics, and other staff.
Employees must submit their leave applications at least one month in advance for approval. Only after the Chief Minister’s consent will any foreign leave be considered valid and executable.
This move aims to bring centralized oversight and ensure accountability in the approval process.
Meanwhile, the Punjab chief minister has approved the launch of the CM Health Vigilance Squad, a new initiative aimed at improving service quality in government hospitals across the province.
The squads will be responsible for identifying deficiencies and ensuring corrective action is taken within 24 hours of any issues reported.
Chairing a key meeting on healthcare reforms, the Chief Minister announced that three Health Vigilance Squads will soon be deployed as part of a pilot project.
Each squad will include medical and technical professionals such as doctors, pharmacists, biomedical engineers, budget officers, and data analysts. Their mandate is to inspect and evaluate medicine stocks, staff attendance, clinical services, and biomedical equipment in public health facilities.
To support this initiative, Maryam Nawaz also gave the green light for a detailed inspection checklist and approved the establishment of a Directorate of Monitoring under the Health and Population Department.
