Development schemes worth Rs800 million approved

Rawalpindi
The provincial government is going to spend Rs622 million on various schemes for upgradation of Benazir Bhutto Hospital in town in the fiscal year 2015-16, while as many as five different schemes approved for the fiscal year 2014-15 involving building and equipment components have almost been completed.
Apart from establishing new hospitals and healthcare facilities, the Punjab government is focusing on improvement of services being provided to public at the three teaching hospitals in town for which a number of development schemes are being prepared.
PML-N Central leader Muhammad Hanif Abbassi expressed this while talking to media men at a press conference held here at the BBH on Friday. Chairman Board of Management of Allied Hospitals Dr. Muhammad Aslam, Rawalpindi Medical College Principal and Chief allied hospitals Professor Dr. Muhammad Umar and Medical Superintendent at BBH Dr. Asif Qadir Mir were also present on the occasion.
Giving details of various schemes and projects approved for the BBH under annual development programme and non ADP for the year 2014-15 and 2015-16, he said he has been given responsibility of uplifting the quality of services at the existing healthcare facilities including teaching hospitals.
He said the development schemes worth Rs259.4 million approved for the year 2014-15 have almost been completed which include construction of new emergency block, renovation of library, outpatients department and the hospital’s rooftop, repair of lithotripter machine, installation of new CT Scan machine that is working and purchase of 10 dialysis machines which are being imported and would be available at the hospital shortly.
He added for the year 2015-16, a scheme worth Rs197 million has been approved for purchase of electro-medical equipment for different departments of the hospital including intensive care unit, gynecology, radiology, physiotherapy and orthopaedic department, medical units 1 and 2, paediatrics department, Ear, Nose and Throat department, pathology department and psychiatry department. He added that two new ambulances would also be purchased under the scheme.
Under another scheme for the year 2015-16, a grant of Rs176 million has been released by the Punjab government which would be spent for purchase of electro-medical equipment, induction of staff, purchase of two new ambulances and up-gradation of operation theatre at the emergency department of BBH, said Hanif Abbasi.
He added to improve quality of services at paediatrics department of the hospital, a scheme worth Rs103 million has been approved for the fiscal year 2015-16 of which a grant of Rs50 million has already been released. The amount approved under the scheme would be utilized to modernize the existing infrastructure at the BBH Paediatrics Department, he said.
Talking to ‘The News’, Abbasi said the vision of Punjab Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif is to uplift the quality of services in the existing hospitals and healthcare facilities at primary and secondary level. I have taken responsibility of the job and would make hospitals in Rawalpindi district a model to be followed, he said.