Daily Times

LAHORE: Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said that his government is fully committed to working for public wellbeing. He said no stone will be left unturned to achieve the goal of a prosperous and self-reliant Pakistan. “The agenda of national development is moving forward with speed by utilizing indigenous resources. The PML-N government has taken revolutionary measures for improving the quality of life of the people and these steps are without a match in the last 70 years. The completion of mega projects has benefitted the general public and the initiatives introduced in health, education, agriculture and social sectors are bearing fruit.”

He expressed these views while talking to a delegation of MPAs who called on him here today. During the meeting, the assembly members apprised the CM about development issues in their areas and updated him on progress on ongoing projects. The Chief Minister said that a culture of institutional transparency has been promoted in the province. The transparent use of public funds has been ensured through the culture of quality, speed and transparency in development schemes. He said a new record has been set by completing energy and other projects before the scheduled time and expressed satisfaction that the province was leading the rest of the country in the journey of national development. “The credit goes to the leadership of the PML-N that it has brought the country out of darkness of load-shedding. The government has taken practical steps for development and prosperity of the people.”

Shehbaz said that continued hard work is required to follow the principles of honesty and trust in working for the cause of national economic development. “The country has to be made economically self-reliant to achieve an honorable place in the comity of nations.”

Addressing PTI chairman Imran Khan, the CM said, “Niazi Sahib must know that change does not come by telling lies. It is realised through continued hard work for public service. The claimants of change are totally devoid of the passion of public service and Niazi sahib and his party has done nothing for the people except telling lies to the nation and taking U-turns when caught red-handed for his negative politics.”

“The poor condition of KP’s infrastructure is in front of us. The elements impeding the journey of development and wasting precious time of the nation through sit-ins will not escape public accountability. What Niazi Sahib has sown, he will have to reap in the elections of 2018 and everything will be crystal clear in this election.”

He said that despite obstructions created by his opponents, he will not let the journey of development suffer. “People have given a lesson to those who have obstructed the process of wellbeing of the masses in by-elections. People will again hold all those hampering progress accountable in the 2018 general elections.

Separately, Federal Minister for National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination Saira Afzal Tarar called on the CM to discuss different health projects and political issues.

On the occasion, CM Shehbaz Sharif said that a positive change has been witnessed in the working environment of public sector hospitals in the province due to steps taken at the provincial and federal levels. Increase in the number of patients in public sector hospitals shows that the public’s confidence in the healthcare facilities is building up.

He said that hospitals and health centres are being upgraded in phases across the province, while free treatment facility has been provided to kidney and liver patients at the newly established Pakistan Kidney and Liver Transplant Institute. He termed the establishment of state-of-the-art burn units in Jinnah Hospital Lahore and other big cities as a historic step forward and said that provision of best doctors along with international standard treatment facilities for surgery in surgical tower of Mayo Hospital was an important achievement of the Punjab government. He said that provision of CT scan machines and quality medicines to patients in district headquarters hospitals has truly benefitted the patients and added that innovative steps like launch of mobile health units, motorbikes ambulance service and introduction of ambulance service for expecting women of rural areas were steps taken for the first time in the country.

Federal Minister Saira Afzal Tarar praised reforms undertaken in the health sector of the province.

Published in Daily Times, March 9^th 2018.