100pc transparency in public projects funds to be ensured

LAHORE:A meeting was held at IDAP Head Office under the chairmanship of Provincial Health Ministers Khawaja Salman Rafique and Khawaja Imran Nazir, in which Secretary Health Punjab Ali Jan Khan, IDAP CEO Captain (R) Shahmeer, Chief Planning Officer Abdul Haq Bhatti and Mian Tariq and other officers participated.

Both ministers reviewed the master plan of the state-of-the-art Nawaz Sharif Cancer Hospital in Lahore during the meeting. Health Secretary Ali Jan Khan and IDAP CEO Captain (R) Shahmeer also gave a briefing to the provincial ministers in this regard.

Provincial Minister Khawaja Salman Rafique said that the master plan of the state-of-the-art Nawaz Sharif Cancer Hospital in Lahore has been reviewed in detail. According to the vision of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, better treatment facilities will be available to cancer patients all over Punjab, including Lahore, under one roof.

The long-standing demand of cancer patients is going to be met in the form of a cancer care hospital in Lahore. The task of constructing a cancer care hospital in Lahore has been entrusted to IDAP. All kinds of funds are available to implement the cancer care hospital being built in Lahore.

Provincial Minister of Primary and Secondary Health Care Khawaja Imran Nazir said that the government would continuously monitor all the stages of construction of the hospital. A helipad will be made mandatory in the hospital. A day care centre will also be made in the cancer care hospital.

Khawaja Imran Nazir further said that the Punjab government would ensure 100% transparency in the funds spent on public projects and maximum convenience would be provided to the general public, he added.

Meanwhile, Provincial Health Minister Khawaja Salman Rafique visited the site of the new Lady Willingdon Hospital. The minister reviewed the ongoing progress at the site. IDAP officers briefed Khawaja Salman Rafique.

The minister said that the old building of the hospital had become very weak. The agencies concerned have been directed to complete the new building on time. There is no shortage of funds for the construction of the new building of the hospital.

Progress on PIC operation theatres being monitored

Provincial Health Minister Khawaja Salman Rafique has said that the difficulties for patients in Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC) are unbearable. 'We are monitoring the progress on the operation theatres in PIC on fast track,' he said regarding operation theatres of Punjab Institute of Cardiology. He said that the issue of operation theatres in PIC came to his knowledge on March 11. On March 12, he made a detailed visit to the PIC along with the officials of the health department and met with the contractors.

Body on improving medicines quality soon

Provincial Minister for Primary and Secondary Health Care Khawaja Imran Nazir has said that experts are always ready to provide their services for the improvement of quality of pharmaceutical industry. The minister was presiding over a review meeting of Punjab Quality Control Board. In the meeting, the affairs, working and performance of the board were reviewed in detail. Director General Drugs Control Muhammad Sohail and Secretary PQCB Dr Munawar Hayat briefed the members of the board. Additional Secretary Drug Control Qalandar Khan, representative of PPMA and other experts were present.

The minister said that a team of experts would be formed soon which would work to improve the quality of the products in consultation with the pharma industry. The minister urged the pharma industry to benefit the testing services of the DTL labs. Kh Imran Nazeer said that there would be no compromise on quality of medicines.

He said that a trust building committee would be established soon to restore the confidence of the pharma industry, urging that the quality of our products should be so high that it gets trust and recognition at the global level. He said that the shortage of staff in PQCB would be met very soon. He directed the PQCB to dispose of all the pending cases well in time. On this occasion, the minister appreciated the performance of Drug Control Wing and PQCB.