Health minister terms budget people-friendly

LAHORE: Provincial Health Minister Khawaja Salman Rafique has said that the Punjab government has presented a people-friendly budget in the House. The historic budget of Punjab 2024-25 is a testament to the excellent vision of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz.

A state-of-the-art Nawaz Sharif Institute of Cancer Treatment and Research is being built in Lahore at a cost of Rs56 billion. Nawaz Sharif Institute of Cardiology is being built in Sargodha at a cost of about Rs9 billion. Air ambulance service is being started across the province at a cost of Rs450 million.

The Punjab government has given special attention to the health sector in the budget 2024-25. We are trying to provide quality health facilities to the people and all health projects would be completed on priority basis, he added.

Meanwhile, Provincial Minister for Primary and Secondary Healthcare Khawaja Imran Nazir, while congratulating Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz and Finance Minister Mujtaba Shuja-ur-Rehman for presenting tax free budget, said that the Punjab government has allocated Rs5.446 trillion in the budget for the fiscal year 2024-25.

Commenting on the annual budget of Punjab, he said that development projects in the province would be completed quickly by allocating funds of Rs842 billion for development projects in Punjab. By starting development projects in 100 days, the CM has laid the foundation of digital speed. Khawaja Imran Nazir said that the department has allocated a budget of Rs43 billion for primary and secondary healthcare and has made health the first priority.

The minister said that Maryam Nawaz has started the journey of development in Punjab by allocating record funds. He said that the Punjab government has proved how to serve the people by revamping 3,000 hospitals and health centres. The minister said that, through the budget for the financial year 2024-25, relief to the people and the journey of development in business would be accelerated.