Daily Times

Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar visited the field hospital at Expo Centre, Lahore on Wednesday and inspected the facilities arranged for the coronavirus patients.

He expressed the satisfaction that this 1000-bed facility has been set up in a short period by employing collective efforts. I visited the Expo Centre nine days ago to inspect the arrangements and it is satisfying that the facility has been functionalized in such a short period. I also congratulate the line departments and it is sanguine that necessary facilities have been arranged in this hospital, he added. Staying home is the best solution for coronavirus and the government is also given attention to other hospitals, he told.

Meanwhile, Rs62 crore has been released for the diagnostics labs and eight new labs will be set up to diagnose the coronavirus. He stated that Raiwind has been quarantined due to surfacing of coronavirus cases adding that Chief Minister Insaf Imdad Programme has been started from April 1st to facilitate the daily wage earners. The people will receive financial aid under CM Insaf Imdad Programme from tomorrow (April 2), he added. The government has also released Zakat funds worth Rs87 crore to help the one lakh and 70 thousand deserving families, he asserted. The CM emphasised the government has adopted a very transparent and fast procedure to provide financial aid which is unique in the history of the province.

Usman Buzdar stated that Rs10 billion has been allocated to provide financial aid worth Rs4000 each to 2.5 lakh impecunious families under CM Insaf Imdad Programme which is online. The antecedents of the applicants will be verified today and lakhs of people will be provided with this aid immediately after verification. He emphasized that applicants will not have to visit any office and financial aid will be paid online after receiving the required information. The applicants can also lodge their complaints online, he mentioned.

The CM stated that doctors and nurses are being trained at the district level adding that majority of coronavirus patients are pilgrims with travel history. 33 are locally transmited patients, he continued. Provincial Ministers are assigned duties to supervise the measures for dealing with coronavirus in their districts. They will also monitor the distribution of financial aid under CM Insaf Imdad Programme along with the monitoring of the wheat procurement campaign, he stated. Wheat will be procured at Rs1400 per maund and the restriction of ‘Gardaweri’ has been done away with. Similarly, the government has issued SOPs for wheat procurement centres and the wheat will be purchased on ‘first come, first served’ basis, the CM concluded. Earlier, Commissioner Lahore briefed about the facilities provided in the field hospital.

Provincial ministers Dr Yasmeen Rashid, Fayyaz-ul-Hassan Chohan, MPAs including Mussarat Jamshed Cheema, Uzma Kardaar, Sadia Sohail, Secretary Specialized Healthcare and Medical Education, Secretary Information and DG Rescue 1122 were also present.

Meanwhile, Usman Buzdar sent bouquets to the doctors and paramedics engaged in the treatment of coronavirus patients in various hospitals and quarantine centres. The administrative officers of different districts presented the bouquets to the doctors and paramedics on behalf of the CM.

In a statement, the chief minister stated that doctors and paramedics are our heroes and their services will always be remembered.

On the other hand, the people detained for violating Section 144 have been released on the directives of Usman Buzdar. In this regard, the chief minister has appealed to the citizens to follow the governmental instructions as all the steps have been taken to protect their lives. The citizens can remain safe from the coronavirus by staying in their homes. Such steps will be continued to protect the lives of the people.