Chief Secretary Punjab Akbar Durrani, accompanied by Specialised Healthcare Secretary Saqib Zafar, visited the Punjab Institute of Mental Health (PIMH) to review the facilities being provided to the patients. He inspected different sections of the institute and asked the patients about the quality of facilities being provided to them. During a visit to the art section, a patient presented a gift to the chief secretary. It was a beautiful painting that he had made himself. PIMH Executive Director Dr Mudasar Hameed Qureshi briefed that about 1,000 patients are under treatment in the hospital. He said that at present, the institute is facing acute shortage of doctors and staff. Besides initiating recruitment of staff at the institute, a case has also been forwarded to the Punjab Public Service Commission for appointments to the posts of grade 17 or above, he added. The chief secretary ordered that a 100-bed centre for rehabilitation for drug addicts be made functional at the earliest and recruitment of doctors and staff be completed on priority basis. He also issued instructions for planting more trees in the hospital so that patients could get a clean environment. He checked quality of food and cleanliness in the kitchen. Earlier, the chief secretary also visited the United Christian Hospital (UCH), Gulberg. He directed Saqib Zafar to submit a comprehensive plan to rehabilitate UCH. He mentioned that this hospital can be helpful in efforts to provide quality healthcare to patients under public-private partnership. Published in Daily Times, July 30th 2018.