Daily Times

LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif said on Monday that the government was focusing on the health sector.

He said this while inaugurating the latest CT scan machine at District Headquarters Hospital, Kasur. He inspected various sections of CT scan room and was also briefed about the facility of CT scan machine. Afterwards, he visited new emergency block of the hospital and inquired about the health of the patients. He inspected different medical facilities as well. The patients and their attendants expressed their satisfaction over the availability of different healthcare facilities at the hospital.

Talking to doctors, nurses, medical staff and attendants of the patients, Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that treatment facilities were being improved with the investment of billions of rupees adding that latest CT scan machines had also been provided to the hospitals which will work round the clock.

“I am personally supervising the on-going reforms programme,” he said. The CM also assured the nurses of the resolution of their problems.

“The latest CT scan machines are being installed in all the DHQ hospitals of the province. These machines have been installed in Kasur, Vehari, Layyah, Mianwali and Bhakkar districts. They are being set up in five other districts as well including Okara, Khushab, Bahawalpur, Sheikhupura and Attock. Now the people of these areas will not have to go to other cities for their CT scan. According to the policy of the Punjab government, these machines will not be the property of the health department, but these machines will be operated by the company that will install them. The CT scan of the patients will be held upon doctor’s advice and this facility will be available round the clock. This system will abolish the archaic system in which patients were directed to get their CT scan done from outside by making the lame excuse of machines being out-of-order. Now, this menace of perfidy is all but over. The staff responsible for operating these machines is trained and treats the patients very courteously. A comprehensive reforms program is underway for improving healthcare facilities in all the hospitals of the province and billions of rupees are being spent to improve the quality of healthcare facilities,” he said.

Kasur incident: The chief minister held a meeting with parents and other family members of seven girls who were molested in Kasur and assured them of provision of justice.

Talking on the occasion, he said that he had been deeply saddened over the savage incidents. “The beast who has done these cruel acts has been arrested and he will be given exemplary punishment under the law. It is my promise that justice will be done and strict action will be taken where some negligence has been done. In this regard, investigation committee has been constituted and the officer found responsible will be prosecuted. Kasur will be made part of safe city project and instructions have been issued in this regard,” he said.

The chief minister announced to name various schools of Kasur after the seven murdered girls and said that repair work of roads of the area would be completed soon. He comforted the mother of a little girl Kainat, adding that the Punjab government would extend every possible support to her. “I am ashamed that such cruelty had been done to a child. Had this been done to the daughter of some influential person, then police would not have taken so much time to take action,” he said.

Published in Daily Times, February  6^th 2018.