Political workers’ entry into Lahore’s Jinnah Hospital banned

LAHORE: The Punjab government has banned the entry of political workers into the Jinnah Hospital Lahore, and allowed only close relatives to visit former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, currently under treatment there.

The decision was made in the wake of Maryam Nawaz Sharif’s frequent visits to hospital to inquire after her ailing father, which literally made the hospital a no-go area for patients and their attendants during her presence there. During the last couple of days, a large number of political workers accompanied Maryam Nawaz and resorted to hooliganism in hospital with all kinds of sloganeering, closing doors of Paeds Emergency and breaking of door glasses in the hospital. A TV camera also hit Maryam Nawaz’s head due to pushing and shoving of the crowd.

Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar has directed the health authorities to take swift action to prevent any situation that affects smooth delivery of services to patients and attendants in the hospital.

Following the instructions, Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid contacted the hospital administration to take immediate action in this regard. “Nawaz Sharif is a convicted criminal. The facilitation of visitors of such a person at the expense of the general public will neither be tolerated nor repeated,” she said, while issuing sincere apologies to all those inconvenienced, and promised to personally look into the matter.

The Jinnah Hospital administration issued a directive for all AMSs especially AMS (Security) that says, “No hindrances in patient care shall be tolerated during the VIP visit up to any level in future. No door or gate shall be closed and no services shall be stopped at any cost.

“The smooth functioning of the hospital shall be ensured. The arrival of a special visitor shall be observed with emphasis on neither patient care is compromised nor hospital functioning is disturbed.

“The AMS Security will ensure that all political workers and supporters stay out of hospital building. A place has been designated outside the building and media persons are also requested to stay outside the hospital building and contact focal person for any information. Cameras are not allowed inside the hospital.”

Earlier, JHL Medical Superintendent Dr Asim Hameed also wrote letters to Punjab health minister, chief secretary, IG Punjab and SSP Faisal Shahzad for tightening the security so that political workers and outsiders did not enter the hospital and working of hospital was not affected.

Punjab chief minister’s spokesman Dr Shahbaz Gill, in a statement issued on Sunday, urged Maryam Nawaz not to bring political workers to Jinnah Hospital when she comes to inquire after her father, as a large number of people are affected whose near- and dear-ones are under treatment in the hospital.