UK’s investment in health sector to be welcomed: Shahbaz

LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Saturday described improvement in public health facilities as a mission and said maximum resources were being utilised to achieve the goal.

“We will get every possible support and cooperation for providing best medical facilities to the common man,” said the chief minister who was addressing a meeting via video link in which a proposal by some UK-based investors for investment in Punjab’s health sector was reviewed.

He said the Punjab government had introduced several reforms in health sector and the cooperation and investment by the British investors would be welcomed for the purpose.

He said access to best medical facilities in the hospitals was a right of the people, which would be ensured by the government at every cost. Steps were being taken for quality treatment of the patients in the province, said Shahbaz.

Citing various ongoing projects, he said work was in full swing on Pakistan Kidney and Liver Transplant Institute and the scope of hepatitis clinics would be expanded to the whole province.

The British investors on the occasion said they were interested in making investment in setting up a modern hospital and medical college of the UK standard in Lahore and wanted to work jointly with the Punjab government in health sector.

Provincial Minister Ali Raza Gillani, chairman P&D (Planning and Development), secretaries of departments concerned and senior officials attended the meeting.

Separately, the chief minister said the PML-N government had spent on national resources in education, health and other social sectors in a transparent manner.

The government had achieved all the targets to a great extent, with result-oriented measures being taken to improve the poor’s living standard, said Shahbaz.

Talking to parliamentarians from various districts, he said opportunities for a standardised education had been provided to children belonging to the resource-less families, adding that paucity of resources would not be allowed to become an impediment in provision of facilities to the people.

Those who called on the chief minister included Chaudhry Arshad Jatt, Ahmed Khan Baloch and Tariq Mehmood Bajwa.