Doctors refuse to go to rural areas, Punjab PA told

LAHORE: Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid expressed her government’s ‘helplessness’ in posting doctors in rural areas, saying the doctors refused to go there.

She expressed these views during a question hour session on the Primary and Secondary Health Department held in the Punjab Assembly on Thursday. While responding to a question of Shazia Abid of PPP, the minister told the House that her ministry managed to post specialist doctors in the villages of a few districts after great efforts. She said 70 doctors were posted in Rajanpur district against 84 seats, assuring that the remaining vacant seats would be filled soon.

Malik Arshad of PM-N took on the Health Minister by accusing her department of furnishing wrong answers. He said that the minister’s claim that the Rural Health Centre (RHC) in Tehsil Kameer, Sahiwal, has received equipment worth Rs 40 million was incorrect and added that the deputy commissioner had not been approving the money required for the purchases. Minister Dr Yasmin Rashed said that the RHC has been upgraded to tehsil level hospital and the equipment would be purchased soon.

Iftikhar Chachar of PML-N also complained about the wrong answer given to his question. He said that contrary to the claims of the minister, X-ray machines in the RHC at Baseerpura are not in working order. He urged the minister to investigate the matter and present a report to the House.

The minister assured the House that the machines are in perfect order and operational; however, if her department is involved in giving false answers then an inquiry will be held. Opposition leader Hamza Shahbaz was also present in the House, but he kept observing the proceedings all the time without taking active part in them.

The treasury and opposition members in the Punjab Assembly praised the efforts of both sides to pass the Punjab Tahaffuz-e-Bunyad-e-Islam Bill 2020, and congratulated the government.

The bill is aimed at checking and preventing the publication and printing of blasphemous and derogatory material against Islamic tenets and sacred personalities, besides promotion of terrorists, their activities and anti social elements.

The bill authorises a special committee of Directorate General of Public Relations (DGPR) and ministry of culture to conduct raids on printing presses, publishing houses, and book stores to confiscate the objectionable material.