Daily Times

LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif Wednesday visited the Pakistan Kidney and Liver Transplant Institute (PKLI) and inquired after the health of patients.

He went to dialysis center, OPD and other wards and asked about the standard of medical facilities being provided to patients. Patients and their attendants expressed satisfaction and said that a state-of-the-art hospital had been developed for serving the ailing humanity.

Speaking on the occasion, the chief minister expressed satisfaction to observe trust of patients in the standard of medical facilities being provided at the hospital and hoped that the hospital would emerge as a role model institution in the region.

Earlier, Shehbaz Sharif presided over a meeting to review progress on 2nd phase of the PKLI.

Addressing the meeting, he said that 25 latest filter clinics had been established and best treatment facilities were being provided to hepatitis patients. “I saw best facilities wherever I went and scope of this programme would be expanded further.” He said that hepatitis filter clinics would also be established in Quetta, Skardu, and Azad Kashmir.

He said that transplant surgery of liver and kidney would be started at PKLI soon.

“All necessary arrangements should be made as soon as possible and steering committee should make its own decisions,” he added.

He said that sufficient funds had been allocated to improve health sector. He said that endowment fund of the PKLI should be made on the pattern of PEEF and resources should be allocated for the fund in the next budget.

Moreover, he said that nursing college will also be set up for PKLI, he added. Provincial minister Khawaja Salman Rafiq, Dr. Saeed Akhtar, Hanif Abbasi, Senator Shaheen Khalid Butt and others officials attended the meeting.

Separately, Power Minister Sardar Awais Khan Leghari Wednesday called on Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday.

During the meeting, various matters of mutual interest, including progress on development projects aimed at public welfare came under discussion.

Shehbaz Sharif said that southern Punjab had been provided more funds as compared to its population ratio and pointed out that mega projects aiming at public welfare and prosperity had been completed in a record period of time by the government.

He said that resources worth billions of rupees had been spent for construction and repair of roads in rural areas and as a result of governmental efforts, thousands of kilometers long carpeted roads had been laid down in rural areas of southern Punjab. “In fact, the steps taken by the incumbent government for the development and welfare of the people are unprecedented in the 70 years history of the country,” he added.

“I consider service to the people of southern Punjab as a sacred responsibility and am personally supervising the progress on various development schemes relating to the districts of southern Punjab, he said.”

He said that it was a good omen that southern Punjab was moving towards progress and prosperity along with other parts of the province. He alleged that previous rulers had badly neglected the people of southern Punjab and took no interest for the solution of their problems.

Published in Daily Times, April 5^th 2018.