Chief Minister Punjab Sardar Usman Buzdar has stated that health budget in 2013-18 was only Rs169 billion while the incumbent government has increased it from Rs369 billion to Rs399 billion in the current financial year.
In a statement issued on Friday, the CM said work is underway on health projects in the Lahore division worth Rs36.65 billion. The state-of-the-art mother and child block is being constructed at Ganga Ram Hospital at a cost of Rs7 billion. A 1,000-bed hospital will be constructed on Fero-zepur Road at a total cost of Rs8 billion.
In the first phase, the 100-bed hospital will be made functional, he added.
The CM said the emergency and trauma centers will be built at Jinnah Hospital and Services Hospital while Child Health Sciences University will be constructed at a cost of Rs4 billion. Alongside, the up-gradation of various wards of Lady Willingdon Hospital will cost Rs35.5 billion, he noted. He said the hospital management information system is being brought in collaboration with Punjab Information Technology Board to bring government hospitals in a paperless era.
The reforms would ensure the best health facilities for the citizens, he added.
The CM said the Multan Nishtar-II and DG Khan cardiology institute projects are in the process of expeditious completion. Dental colleges are also being set up in Rawalpindi and Bahawalpur, he said.
A total of 8 mother and child hospitals are under construction in Punjab. He said the incomplete project of Mandi Bahauddin DHQ hospital along with new district hospitals in Chiniot, Hafizabad and Chakwal has been completed and, in total, 158 hospitals and health centers are being upgraded.
In 3 years, the government has set up 78 new health facilities and 91 new health projects have also been included in the district development package.
A total of Rs37.25 billion has been allo-cated for free medicines in hospitals and health centers across the province. Attention was also paid to building new hospitals to provide the best medical facilities to the labourers. In the 52 years from the inception of PESSI till 2018, there were 14 social security hospitals in Punjab but this government has built 9 new hospitals in just three years. Now, there are 23 social security hospitals in the province to provide the best facilities to registered workers and labourers, concluded the CM.
On the other hand Chief Minister Punjab Sardar Usman Buzdar paid a surprise visit to Sialkot city while coming back from Islamabad on Friday to review the development schemes. He also inspected the situation of cleanliness and traffic flow.
The CM directed timely completion of development schemes and vowed to maintain transparency. The government is fully focusing on developing every city and every effort would be made to protect the life and property of the citizens, he said.
He directed to further improve the law & order situation and announced to continue conducting surprise visits to review the real situation.
