Australian NGO to revamp eye wards in hospitals

LAHORE: Punjab Minister for Primary and Secondary Healthcare (P&SH) Dr Jamal Nasir informed that the Fred Hollows Foundation (FHF) of Australia will provide latest eye treatment equipment and instruments besides revamping eye wards at selected govt hospitals in three districts of Punjab - Bahawalpur, Lodhran and Vehari - at a cost of three million Australian dollars over a period of four years.

A tripartite MoU for this purpose was inked among the P&SHD, College of Ophthalmology & Allied Vision Sciences (COAVS) and the Fred Hollows Foundation (FHF) on Tuesday, the minister revealed. Special Secretary Health M Iqbal, Prof M Moin of KE University and Farooq Awan of Fred Hollows Foundation signed the MoU.

All the preparations have been finalised and the work on this programme will formally be started next week for the benefit of more than eight million population of the above-mentioned districts, the minister added.

Dr Jamal Nasir told that cataract surgeries will be done free-of-cost in district and tehsil headquarters hospitals of these districts and near vision glasses will also be provided to the patients without any price. The provincial minister said that the women working in the agricultural sector and garment factories in these districts will be provided special eye treatment facilities under this programme.

Minister visits Women Protection Centre

The caretaker provincial minister for Health, Social Welfare and Baitul-Mal Prof Dr Javed Akram visited Women Protection Centre, Wahdat Colony. The minister interacted with the victims of sexual violence. Additional Secretary Social Welfare and Baitul Mal Amir Shafiq and other officers informed Dr Javed Akram about the details of the facilities provided to women in the centre. Later, the caretaker minister also visited a clinic.

The minister said that financial and legal support was provided to victims of domestic violence; a 100% implementation of the law on protection against violence was being done. The minister said that the Punjab government was taking basic steps to eliminate violence against women. Women should also be given free working rights at workplaces. Dar-ul-Aman and Crisis Centres across Punjab have been given the status of Women Protection Centres.