LAHORE: Inspector General Police Punjab Dr Usman Anwar has said that a special effort called ‘Initiative for Differently Abled Children’ has been launched to provide modern medical facilities to children affected by mental and physical diseases including hearing and speech.
He said that under this initiative, all possible steps would be taken for the rehabilitation of children of those parents who deserve treatment, help and attention. IG Punjab said that these children suffering from various disorders deserve special attention and in this process, the police department will spare no effort in providing facilities and support to its employees.
IG Punjab expressed these views while speaking at a programme organised for the welfare of special and differently abled children of police employees at the Central Police Office on Monday.
Dr Usman Anwar signed MoUs with Children’s Hospital Lahore, Rising Sun Institute, Full Circle Institute and Hamza Foundation on behalf of Punjab Police for the rehabilitation and support of mentally and physically challenged children. Under the MoU, Punjab Police and all four institutions together will take joint measures for rehabilitation of special and differently abled children of police employees.
On this occasion, IG Punjab has appointed DIG Establishment Dr Inam Waheed as the focal person for coordination with other institutions. He directed the Hamza Foundation to prepare a two-week special training course to teach Basic Sign Language to the police personnel, which will be started from this Friday. He instructed the relevant institutions to write a letter for the approval of the provision of driving license to the deaf people. He said that after the approval of concerned institutions and medical boards, the obstacles in supply of driving license to those deaf persons who meet out the devised standard should be removed. Prof Masood Sadiq from Children's Hospital while appreciating the special initiative of IG Punjab, said that Children's Hospital is present for all possible support to provide the best treatment facilities to the children of police employees who are suffering from any kind of mental and physical disabilities.
Nabila Chaudhry from Rising Sun Institute said that offices and resources of Rising Sun Institute will be utilised for the rehabilitation of special children. Her organisation has organised a camp in provincial capital for the health screening of children of police employees and such camps will be held in other districts as well.
On behalf of an NGO, Dr Bushra Ejaz said that Hamza Foundation will organise a special course to teach sign language to police employees so that speech-impaired citizens who come to police offices may be communicated with signs.
Sara Ahmed from Full Circle Institute requested that special children be allowed free entry in all the parks, on which the IG Punjab said that instructions will be issued in this regard by bringing it to the notice of the caretaker Chief Minister Punjab and Chief Secretary Punjab.
On this occasion, Additional IG Welfare and Finance Riaz Nazir Gara, DIG Establishment Dr Inam Waheed, DIG IT Ahsan Younis, AIG Admin and Security Ammara Athar, AIG Operations Dr Asad Ijaz Malhi, SSP Admin Lahore Atif Nazir and other officers were also present.
