Daily Times

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday said the government was determined to provide state of the art free healthcare facilities to the deserving patients across the country.

Addressing a groundbreaking ceremony of Jinnah Medical Complex here, the prime minister said the Complex was going to be the region’s one of the best medical center where the deserving people would get 100% free medical treatment.

“This is the gift of the coalition government not only for the residents of the Rawalpindi and Islamabad but for the people from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Azad Jammu & Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan as well,” PM Shehbaz Sharif said.

He said once completed, the medical complex would offer the world’s best healthcare facilities with various sections of diseases related to heart, kidneys, lungs, cancer and others. Furthermore, he said a modern first aid emergency section would also be established at the hospital with facility of air ambulance service for patients belonging to hard areas.

He said the nursing schools and laboratories would also be established in the hospital and the deserving patients would avail 100% lab tests facility.

The prime minister emphasized that this was the same model envisioned by PML-N President Muhammad Nawaz Sharif to provide free medical facilities only to the poor and on-payment facilities to the well-off people at the same place.

He specifically thanked Chairman HBL Sultan Ali Allana and Prince Rahim Agha Khan for providing technical consultancy support free of cost for the project. He paid tribute the decades-long services of the Agha Khan Foundation for the country.

He directed the authorities concerned to complete the project in one year. “Although one year is a challenging deadline for the huge project but with determination and hard work, it was quite possible. He also issued directives to continue work on the project round the clock to meet the deadline. He assured that there would be no funding problems from the government side.

PM Shehbaz Sharif also express his gratitude to the Islamabad Chief Commissioner Ali Randhawa for providing land for the project.

He also thanked finance minister, finance secretary and planning minister for their support for the project.

As regards compensation to the land affected people, the prime minister directed to provide one window facility to the affected people to resolve their problems without any delay.

Health Coordinator Dr Mukhtar Ahmed, MNAs Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, Hanif Abbasi and Raja Khurrum Nawaz also spoke on the occasion.

Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar was also present on the occasion.