Shahbaz promises cancer hospital after elections

LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Friday said a cancer hospital to provide free treatment would be established soon after the 2018 elections.

“If the people re-elected us in the 2018 elections for serving them, the foundation stone of cancer hospital would be laid in September,” he said, promising to introduce a culture of service in hospitals without any strike or maladministration.

“For this hospital, invitation would be extended to the best Pakistani doctors working across the globe to return back home and serve the people,” said the chief minister in his address after inaugurating of Government THQ Hospital Sabzazar. He said the surgical and other new wards developed in Mayo Hospital gave the impression of a modern European hospital with high-quality treatment facilities and purpose-built buildings.

Mentioning the establishment of six hospitals during the last four years in Lahore and surroundings areas, Shahbaz said, “The hospitals established in Sabzazar, Manawan and Raiwind are serving people of the areas after their completion,” he said and added that the mother and child hospital in Lidhar was functional and those in Kahna and other hospitals would to be completed soon. The chief minister described public service as the basic vision of PML-N. Nawaz Sharif gave the innovative project of motorway in addition to that of asphalted roads for villages. “Under this vision, thousands of kilometres of roads have been constructed in different villages during the last four and a half years by spending an amount of Rs 85 billion in the province,” he said. Shahbaz said the founding fathers – Iqbal and Quaid – had dreamt of a Pakistan where all the people would have equal opportunities. During his speech, the chief minister with tears in his eyes said he would be questioned on the Day of Judgment for his deeds. “I shall most respectfully and humbly reply to Almighty Allah that you are a forgiver, I have made an institution like the PKLI for serving the ailing humanity. Therefore, my sins may be forgiven and I may be pardoned,” he said.

Separately, provincial assembly members from different districts – Rao Ajmal, Alam Dad Lalika and Sultan Haider – called on Shahbaz who said the elements involved in sit-ins, instead of serving the masses, had wasted precious time on baseless allegations. “The performance of the claimants of change is zero,” he said.