Daily Times

LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif Thursday condemned in strongest possible terms the explosion in the Defence Housing Authority and expressed his heartfelt grief and sorrow over the loss of precious lives.

He directed the health authorities to provide the best medical treatment to the injured. He also directed the senior officers of the Health Department to monitor the medical facilities provided to the injured.

The chief minister also sought a report from the Punjab inspector general of police (IG) and directed him to arrest those involved in the incident. The chief minister said the heartless beasts, who have killed the innocent people, would never be able to escape punishment and those who had targeted the innocent people deserved no leniency.

He said all sympathies of the Punjab government were with the bereaved families and added that terrorists could not shatter determination of the nation through such coward acts.

Separately, the progress on the Health Reforms Roadmap was discussed in a three-hour-long meeting presided over by the Punjab chief minister here on Thursday.

Addressing the meeting, the chief minister said reforms introduced by the Punjab government in the health sector were yielding positive results and that the roadmap had helped improve health facilities. He said revolutionary measures had been taken to provide the best health facilities to the people. He said steps taken to improve coverage of the immunisation campaign had produced encouraging results. He directed the authorities concerned to further the vaccination programme in a coordinated manner.

He said that a programme had been planned to launch the rural ambulance service and 14 more mobile health units were being purchased to provide the best health facilities to the people at their doorsteps. He said six mobile health units were already providing health facilities in the remote areas round-the-clock.

He said that the Punjab government had made a foolproof system for purchase, transportation and sale of medicines. He added that steps were being taken to end shortage of medical officers and consultants and CT scan machines would be operational at all district headquarters (DHQ) hospitals across Punjab by June this year.

Referring to the Prime Minister Health Insurance Scheme, he said it was a mega project for the provision of the best health facilities to the public and that the Punjab government had planned to enhance the scope of this scheme from four districts to the whole province.

Provincial ministers Rana Sanaullah, Begum Zakiya Shahnawaz, Khawaja Imran Nazeer, adviser Dr Umer Saif, chief secretary, secretaries of departments concerned and representatives of the team of the Health Reforms Roadmap also attended the meeting.

Meanwhile, Nepalese Ambassador to Pakistan Sewa Lamsal Adhikari called on Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Thursday and discussed mattes of mutual interest and expansion of bilateral cooperation in various fields.

The Nepalese ambassador expressed her grief over the loss of lives in recent incidents of terrorism. Talking to the ambassador, Shahbaz Sharif said that sacrifices rendered by Pakistan in the war against terrorism were matchless.

He said that cooperation between both countries in economic, trade and other sectors should be enhanced. The Nepalese ambassador said her country wanted to enhance social and economic cooperation with Pakistan.