Thursday, May 8, 2008, Jamadi-ul-Awwal 1, 1429    

Health Ministry launches
Rs 20b health care programme

Islamabad—Minister for Health Sherry Rehman told the Senate that the Ministry has launched a 20 billion rupee programme for five years to prevent maternal, newborn and children death.
Replying to a question about steps being taken to provide free medical treatment to the poor she said an immunization programme against seven deadly diseases is being run at an annual cost of 1.6 billion rupees besides a five billion rupee programme of Lady Health Workers to provide healthcare services to the people at their door-steps.
She said the National TB Programme is running at an annual cost of 205million rupees providing free of cost diagnostic and treatment facilities besides an expenditure of five hundred million rupees annually on prevention and treatment of hepatitis. She said the Government is also spending substantial amounts on prevention and treatment of malaria, AIDS control, prevention of blindness and National Nutrition Programme.
Minister for Health Sherry Rehman announced that the Islamabad-based Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) would start providing completely free medical services to patients in two weeks.
The Minister said a 21 billion rupee programme has been prepared for improvement of services at the Federal Government Services Hospital, establishment of Critical Care Units and upgradation of Nursing School.
Responding to a question on behalf of the Minister for Industries and Production, Sherry Rehman said that for the first time Pakistan Steel earned a profit of 3.1 billion rupees last year.
She said the Mills has initiated an upgradation programme to increase production capacity from 1.1 to 3.1 million tons annually from its own resources.
She said the Steel Mills has about 16500 employees while about eight thousand employees sought voluntary retirement. The Minister in charge for Planning and Development Shah Mehmood Qureshi said pro-poor expenditure increased from 180 billion rupees to 497billion rupees during the last five years.
To a question the Foreign Minister told the House that Pakistani missions in Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, India, Turkey and Bangladesh issued 1133 visas for the purpose of tableegh in Pakistan.
Responding to a supplementary about rejection of fourteen applications, he said there were complaints of overstay, taking admission in local religious institutions and even contacts with unwanted groups.
Meanwhile, Minister for Health Sherry Rehman has announced that the Islamabad-based Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) would start providing completely free medical services to patients in two weeks.
Replying to a question in the Senate today she said as against some other government hospitals PIMS is presently charging fees on account of tests and other services.
She said a summary is being submitted to the Prime Minister to make these services free of cost. The Minister said a 21 billion rupee programme has been prepared for improvement of services at the Federal Government Services Hospital, establishment of Critical Care Units and upgradation of Nursing School.
To another question she said medical treatment is being provided to all Gynae patients in Federal Government Hospitals in Islamabad irrespective of their entitlement.—NNI