- Using mobile phones prohibited for staff under BPS-18.
- Three-Day Compliance Deadline for Monitoring Telephone Use.
- Nurses who were asked to follow SOPS strictly.
LAHORE: The Punjab government has introduced a ban on the use of mobile phones from the hospital’s staff during the BPS-18 class during the customs hours of all public hospitals throughout the province and instructed the introduction of a paging system for emergency communication.
According to two circulars issued on July 7, 2025, by the specialized healthcare and medical education department, the decision aims to ensure uninterrupted emergency preparedness and improve the quality of patient care in public health facilities.
The first circular says that the use of personal seekers is made mandatory across all public health institutions to improve rapid communication during situations at high risk.
“Coers help ensure that critical alarms – such as code blue and code red – are immediately received and responded to,” it says. All hospitals under the department’s jurisdiction have been asked to ensure strict compliance.
Meanwhile, the second directive prohibits the use of mobile phones during the customs hours of all hospital staff under 18 class in emergencies, ICUs, Nicus and Operation Theaters.
Exceptions apply to senior administrative officers such as medical superintendents, additional and deputy superintendents, senior registrators and directors. The directive warns that the frequent and unnecessary use of mobile phones disrupted patient care and the hospital’s operations.
Medical Superintendents and Departments have been tasked with enforcing the ban, monitoring personnel behavior and submitting compliance reports within three days.
In addition, the circular the need to ensure a robust and responsive emergency care system and mandate -‘sion to SOPs from nursing students, especially in procedures such as IV injections.
The directives have been circulated to all medical universities in the public sector, colleges, specialized institutes and teaching hospitals in Punjab. Copies have also been forwarded to the Chief Minister’s Secretariat, Health Secretary and Relevant Department Managers.
