Minister pays tribute to healthcare staff

LAHORE:Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid paid rich tribute to healthcare professionals serving Covid-19 patients at a gathering of staff at Expo Centre here on Monday.

The lecture and technical discussion was attended by around 400 doctors, nurses and paramedical staff who are being trained to deal with corona patients. Also present on the occasion were CEO Mayo Hospital Professor Asad Aslam Khan, Principal Services Institute of Medical Sciences Professor Mehmud Ayaz, DG Rescue 1122 Rizwan Naseer and other officials.

The minister said around 2,000 staff members are being specifically hired for Expo Centre and they are being given special training.

“The field hospital at Expo Centre will not only serve the patients, it also serve as a platform for research on the subject. The doctors serving at this time of trial are real heroes. The entire leadership of the country and the people are looking towards doctors to steer the nation out of these difficult times. The government has added 500 beds at the Mayo Hospital and has requested Shaukat Khanam Hospital to reserve beds for Covid-19 patients. Three dedicated centers have been set up in Lahore for treatment and the remuneration package has been doubled for doctors serving here.”

Dr Yasmin Rashid further said, “The objective behind this gathering is to train our healthcare professionals for the Pandemic. All the doctors, young professionals and seniors are now praying for the staff serving as the frontline workers against the Pandemic. If I had a thousand lives, I would still have sacrificed them on the country. This is a time we need to serve the nation. Those serving these patients are closer to the Almighty and I salute everyone serving the patients in these circumstances.”

The minister also said the government has the mandate of serving the marginalized and the downtrodden and it will fulfill its duty.