Punjab spending billions to improve healthcare: Shahbaz
17 February, 2013
LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has said that provision of modern and latest treatment facilities to the masses is the top priority of the Punjab government and billions of rupees are being spent to provide best treatment facilities to the people of the province. He was presiding over a high-level meeting to review the pace of implementation on various programmes of health sector, at Model Town on Saturday. He said that provision of free medicines in the hospitals has been ensured and new hospitals have been constructed to provide best treatment facilities to the people, whereas treatment facilities in various districts have been further improved. He said that the Punjab government is endeavouring to provide quality and modern medical facilities to the people and is improving the health sector for which record budget has been allocated. Shahbaz said that a 410-bed hospital in Bahawalpur and a 300-bed hospital in Shahdara are in the final stages of completion and will be made functional soon. Special Assistant on Health Khawaja Salman Rafique, Hanif Abbasi, Muhammad Riaz Malik, Rana Muhammad Iqbal, Abdul Razzaq Dhillon, Planning and Development chairman, health and information departments' secretaries, Rawalpindi Institute of Cardiology chief executive officer and other officials concerned were present in the meeting. Addressing the meeting, Shahbaz said that like education, every person of society has an equal right to best facilities of health, and the Punjab government is providing this right to them. He said that after the completion of 410-bed hospital in Bahawalpur, best and modern treatment facilities would become available to the people of south Punjab. He directed the authorities concerned to complete the remaining work of the hospital and the process of purchase of equipment and machinery at the earliest. The chief minister said that the 300-bed hospital being constructed in Shahdara was a longstanding demand of the people of the area and after its completion, modern and latest treatment facilities would be available to thousands of people of the area. He said that the hospital would become functional in March. The chief minister directed that the work of upgradation of District Headquarters Hospital Sargodha be completed at the earliest. He further directed that the pending work of the District Headquarters Hospital Sargodha should be completed immediately. Shahbaz Sharif said that the latest diagnostic machinery has been installed in the modern Rawalpindi Institute of Cardiology that has been constructed at a cost of Rs 2.75 billion, and facilities of international standard for open-heart surgery, angiography and treatment of cardiac diseases as well as specialist doctors and trained medical staff have been provided. He said that cardiac surgery has been started in the state-of-the-art Rawalpindi Institute of Cardiology, and besides Rawalpindi, patients of other areas of the country suffering from cardiac diseases will also benefit from it. The chief minister directed that the patients' health and provision of health facilities to them be given priority, and the Rawalpindi Institute of Cardiology should be one of the best hospitals of the country. Shahbaz further directed that the Rawalpindi Institute of Cardiology be modelled on the Punjab Institute of Cardiology with regards to provision of treatment to the poor and deserving patients. Shahbaz said that the Board of Management of the Rawalpindi Institute of Cardiology be constituted at the earliest. The health secretary informed the meeting about the progress on various ongoing programmes in the health sector. He said that the process of transparent purchase of modern machinery for the newly constructed hospitals is continuing and recruitment of capable persons on merit has been ensured. End.
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