Daily Times

State Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan on Friday informed the Senate that no big hospital has been established in the federal capital for last 25-30 years after Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS).

Responding to various supplementary questions during Question Hour, the minister said there was dire need of setting up another big hospital in public sector.

Many patients from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab also regularly visited public sector hospitals in the Federal Capital, he added.

He said Establishment of Islamabad General Hospital at Tarlai was approved by CDWP at total cost of Rs. 2499.993 million. Saudi Fund for Development (SFD) approved grant assistance of Rs. 75,000,000 (Equivalent to Rs. 2,000 million) for this project, he added. He said in Financial Year 2016-17, Rs. 100.000 million including Rs.50.000 million FEC was allocated to this project.

The minister said that such hospital was expected to be completed by June, 2019 where the construction work was started from the boundary wall by PWD in October 2016, but due to litigation by some local land mafia it was delayed for 2 years being subjudiced in the court.

Presently the boundary wall was complete, the approach roads from the Lehtrar road and Park Road are also complete while gates are installed, all work was done through GOP funds of the project amount, he said.

To another question, Ali Muhammad Khan said out of total 302,424 Coronavirus patients, as many as 290,261 Coronavirus patients have been recovered so far.

He said effective steps were taken to control the pandemic which was also acknowledged worldwide.

Paying tributes to doctors and paramedic staff, the minister said that they did wonderful job during the pandemic despite limited resources.

He said international institutions were doing research to control the pandemic while our own scientists and institutions were also carrying out research to prepare vaccine in this regard.

The minister said assistance was provided to 10.6 million families under Ehsas Programme during COVID-19 adding that more share was given to Sindh province than its specified ratio during the pandemic.

To a separate question, the minister said Drug Control Section of the Health Department, Islamabad has seized 24 different expired drugs from 05 different premises/firms during last one year.

Meanwhile, the Upper House of the Parliament on Friday granted 30-day extension to Standing Committee on Law and Justice for presentation of reports on three legislative proposals.

The House passed three motions under Rule 194 (1) granting 30-day extension to Standing Committee on Law and Justice for presentation of reports on three legislative proposals including the Constitution (Amendment) Bill, 2020 (Amendment of Article 140); the Constitution (Amendment) Bill, 2020 (Amendment of Article 73) and the Constitution (Amendment) Bill, 2020 (Amendment of Article 100).

On behalf of Chairman Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat, a member of the Committee Asad Ashraf presented reports of the Committee on the Pakistan Commissions of Inquiry (Amendment) Bill, 2020 and on a Point of Public Importance regarding representation of provinces in regulatory authorities. Chairperson Standing Committee on Parliamentary Affairs presented report of the Committee on a Point of Public Importance regarding bleak future of the employees of ERRA.

The House considered and adopted report of the Standing Committee on States and Frontier Regions on its visit to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from March 11 to March 12, 2020.