Daily Times

Chief Minister Punjab Sardar Usman Buzdar on Friday chaired a meeting at his office in which he was briefed about anti-polio measures. Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid, Secretary Primary & Secondary Healthcare, representative of UNICEF polio team and others were also present.

The CM appreciated that samples of sewage water collected in Lahore and other districts have been found polio-free. This is an important achievement and the health department, as well as anti-polio teams, deserve accolades; he added and directed to continue provincial anti-polio drive for administering the vaccine to all children below the age of five years. The children are being administered anti-polio, measles and rubella vaccines across Punjab to save them from these ailments, he stated.

One more dies, 13 new corona infections in 24 hours. One more patient had died while 13 others were diagnosed with fatal coronavirus during the last 24 hours, raising the tally of confirmed cases to 39,239 in the district. As per the latest data released by the District Health Authority here Friday, the total infected cases included 36,227 from Rawalpindi and 3012 from other districts. Among the new patients, three cases were reported from Rawalpindi Cantonment and Taxila, two from Kallar Syeda and one each case has arrived from Rawal town, Gujar Khan, Potohar town, AJK and Sargodha. “Presently 25 confirmed patients were admitted to four city facilities, counting ten in Fauji foundation hospital, seven in Institute of Urology, six in Benazir Bhutto Hospital and two in Bilal hospital,” the report said. District Health Authority further updated that 37,911 patients had been discharged after recovery, 34,911 with Rawalpindi and 3000 from outside districts.

In addition, the report informed that 184 were quarantined, including 95 at home and 89 in the isolation centres. The report further said that 3,639,741 people, including 43,935 health workers, had jabbed themselves against the lethal coronavirus (COVID-19) across the district since the vaccination administering drive launched on March 10. The positivity rate was recorded at 0.93 per cent during the last 24 hours in the district, it added.

South Korean Ambassador Suh Sangpyo called on Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar at his office on Friday and discussed matters of mutual interest as they agreed to enhance cooperation in IT, skills development, tourism, healthcare and other sectors.

The CM pointed out that both the countries enjoy friendly relations and strong economic ties, adding that trade and economic relations should be further promoted. Bilateral exchange of trade and cultural delegations would boost the friendship between both the countries, he added.

The provincial government was desirous of benefiting from South Korean experiences of utilising technology for composite development as conducive investment opportunities were available in Punjab, he said and pointed out that an investment facilitation cell has been established to start one-window operations and foreign investors were provided different facilities on a priority basis.

The CM added that South Korean investors will be provided special incentives in special economic zones being established in the province as the government wanted to learn from the Korean experience of providing technical and vocational training to the youth.

Ambassador Suh Sangpyo expressed the desire to promote trade and economic ties with Pakistan and showed readiness to provide technical assistance to the Punjab government. The Punjab government has taken commendable steps to overcome corona, he said. The ambassador also apprised the CM about the details of Korean investment in Pakistan.

Secretaries of industries, tourism and P&D departments and others were also present. Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar chaired a meeting at his office to approve the summary for the launch of air-ambulance service in Punjab.

Special Assistant to Chief Minister (SACM) Hasaan Khawar, additional chief secretary, P&D chairman, Rescue-1122 director-general and others attended the meeting.

The CM was briefed that extended rescue services would be started from 86 tehsils while the delivery of 249 new ambulances would start from the next month.

A 12-member community level rescue teams would be constituted in every union council to provide first-aid in an emergency, the meeting was informed.

Rescue-1122 will release a tender for starting air-ambulance service. While ordering completion of spadework without delay, the CM instructed to complete the hiring of pilot staff as soon as possible.

The CM expressed his satisfaction that Punjab was the first province in the region, as well as the country, to introduce this most modern service for executing rescue operations in far-flung areas.