Daily Times

NAROWAL: Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif Friday criticised Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan’s performance in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

“I do not understand how opposition parties criticise us. Has Imran Khan built even a hospital?” the Punjab chief minister said while addressing an inaugural ceremony at District Headquarters Hospital in Narowal.

“Niazi Sb, you have destroyed Peshawar,” Shehbaz said while referring to the PTI chairman.

Sharing the development projects launched in Punjab and health facilities in the province, Shehbaz said, “They [PTI] used to call me ‘Showbaz Sharif’ and termed Lahore Metro Bus project a ‘jangla bus’ service but now they were spending billions to make a metro bus for Peshawar.”

“In KP, not a single hospital, university or college had been built in the last five years.”

“Even Sindh has been destroyed. Just look at what has been done in Karachi,” he added.

Shehbaz further said, “Punjab government has initiated a new phase of public health in the country.”

The Punjab chief minister said, “We have completely transformed the District Headquarters Hospital and CT scan services would be provided round-the-clock.”

“We have also installed automatic surgical beds,” he added while delving into details regarding the facilities being provided at the hospital.

Stating that the poor and the rich are being provided with equal facilities across Punjab, the provincial chief minister said that PML-N-led Punjab government had given new hopes to disfranchised segments of the society by setting up quality hospitals in every district of the province.

“Along with the latest facility of PKLI in Lahore, a network of hepatitis filter clinics had been spread across the province to provide free treatment and medicines to the patients. ”

He said that pathology labs had been set up at district hospitals and special wards had also been established for treatment of prisoners.

“We have ensured equality in hospitals and billions of rupees are being spent every year for provision of medicines. Free treatment of kidney-related diseases and medicines are also being provided in government hospitals across Punjab,” Shehbaz said.

Earlier, the chief minister inaugurated the revamped Narowal DHQ Hospital completed with a total outlay of Rs 760 million. The evening facility of OPD had also been arranged at the hospital.

The chief minister inaugurated an emergency block, hepatitis filter clinic and CT- scan machine there. The hepatitis filter clinic had been constructed with an amount of Rs 30 million and important sections had been added to the 300-bed hospital. He also inaugurated mobile health units for Narowal and Sialkot districts and handed over the keys to the deputy commissioners. Shehbaz also visited various sections of the hospital and inquired after the health of patients.

Published in Daily Times, May 26^th 2018.