Pb govt is spending billions on the development of health sector:CM Punjab

Lahore: Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif has said that Punjab government is spending billions of rupees on the development of health sector .
He said that in order to provide modern healthcare facilities to the people at their doorstep, health sector projects are being completed expeditiously. He said that in addition to construction of new hospitals, special attention is being paid to the up-gradation of district and tehsil headquarter hospitals. He said that the state-of-the-art Rawalpindi Institute of Cardiology (RIC) will start providing medical facilities to the heart patients from December 25 which will benefit people of Rawalpindi as well as Azad Kashmir and other provinces. He said that free of cost treatment will be provided to the poor patients at RIC.

He was presiding over a meeting here to review the pace of progress on Rawalpindi Institute of Cardiology and other projects in health sector. Special Assistant to Chief Minister on Health Khawaja Salman Rafique, Member National Assembly Hanif Abbasi, Chairman Planning & Development, Secretaries of Health and Finance, Commissioner Rawalpindi Division and Medical Superintendent RIC were present. Chief Executive Officer RIC Azhar Mehmood Kiyani informed about the pace of progress regarding the ongoing project. Addressing the meeting, the Chief Minister said that provision of modern health facilities to the masses is the top priority of Punjab government and maximum resources are being utilized for this purpose. He said that record funds have been released for health sector projects while free medicines worth billions of rupees are being provided to the less-privileged patients in hospitals. He said that a state-of-the-art cardiology hospital has been set up in Rawalpindi for the purpose of providing modern treatment facilities to the heart patients. He said that the hospital will be run as an autonomous institution and necessary legislation is being undertaken for this purpose. Setting up a committee headed by Special Assistant Khawaja Salman Rafique, the Chief Minister said that the committee will prepare the draft of the law for granting autonomous status to the hospital as well as submit recommendations for the posts required for the hospital besides other administrative and financial matters. He said that implementation of the recommendations of the committee will be ensured. The Chief Minister said that funds are immediately being provided for the setting up of nursing hostel and provision of other facilities at the hospital.

Chief Executive Officer RIC while informing about the administrative and financial affairs of the hospital told that medical equipment and machinery has reached and will be installed by December 15. He said that sanitation and security system have been outsourced while hospital has been affiliated with London Children University, teaching hospital and other institutions from where the hospital staff will be trained.