Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday asked the Punjab government to ensure enhanced participation of private sector in the development projects as the government has limited resources to carry out works.
Co-chairing the meeting of Punjab cabinet along with Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar here, the prime minister called for implementation of different models of public-private partnership to reduce burden on the government.
The cabinet meeting discussed the public-private partnership in various development projects during fiscal year 2019-20.
The prime minister said human capital is the biggest strength of Pakistan so creating maximum employment opportunities for the skilled workforce is need of the hour. He also directed for launch of special projects to promote agriculture sector and enhance its produce.
Lamenting the spending of Rs 12 billion on metro bus service alone, the prime minister said such a huge amount could have been allocated for uplift of education and health sectors. He said the social welfare should be the objective of every development project which is designed keeping in view their feasibility as well as by ascertaining their schedule for completion.
Calling for easing out the investment process, the prime minister directed for facilitating the investors through one-window operations. The incumbent government is giving special focus for bringing ease of doing business, he added.
Meanwhile, addressing a fundraiser of Shaukat Khanam Memorial Cancer Hospital (SKMCH) here, Prime Minister Imran Khan said the government will not tolerate any hurdle in its endeavour of reforming the public-sector hospitals to ensure the provision of quality healthcare services to the poor people. He said those who are impeding the reformation of the government hospitals are in fact hurting the country. He said the services at the public-sector hospitals cannot be improved until a carrot and stick policy is implemented there to reward the competent people and get rid of those who show inertia. He said no government system can work in absence of such a policy and people will never be able to get quality treatment.
The prime minister said as part of this reformation process, good doctors will be given attractive salaries and the best talent will be hired. He said the government is not going to privatise the public-sector hospitals but plans to change their management system to bring in quality services.
He said after five years, people will witness the government hospitals providing the medical treatment to people at par with the SKMCH and even the doctors will also yearn to join those hospitals.
He told the gathering that at the SKMCH, the doctors equally treat both the poor and rich patients. He said SKMCH Peshawar has been equipped with radiation facility making it the best one in the upper region of the country. Soon, the ground breaking of SKMCH in Karachi will be held that will be developed as an international standard hospital, he added.
He said after establishing Namal University, he has launched work on Al-Qadir University in Sohawa, where the youth will be taught the basic ideology of Pakistan to produce future leaders so that they could carry forward the very ideology.