Obstacles in provision of health services to be removed in stages

Islamabad:Obstacles in providing health services to the people will be eliminated in stages, said Special Adviser to the Prime Minister on Health Dr. Faisal Sultan while speaking at an event organized by Pakistan National Heart Association (PANAH) on Monday. He said that health of the people is one of the main priorities of the Prime Minister.

President PANAH Major General (r) Masood-ur-Rehman Kayani, General Secretary PANAH Sanaullah Ghman and acting vice presidents Major General (r) Muhammad Ashraf, Ijaz Akbar, Ghulam Abbas also spoke on the occasion.

Major General (r) Masood-ur-Rehman Kayani said that PANAH has been educating the people about the causes of heart disease for the last 36 years. He said smoking, sugary drinks and obesity are one of the main causes of diseases. He said that a health tax bill of Rs1 on a small bottle of sugary drinks and Rs10 per pack of cigarettes was approved by the Cabinet and Prime Minister Imran Khan. “To date, however, no positive developments have taken place,” he said.

PANAH President Major General (r) Masood-ur-Rehman Kayani said that this is a matter of public health. “Factors that endanger the health of the people should be among the priorities of the government,” he said.

General Secretary PANAH Sanaullah Ghumman said that smoking and consumption of sugary drinks cause various diseases in the human body including heart, cancer and diabetes. “Only by enacting legislation to prevent this can a healthy society be established,” he said.

Special Adviser to PM Imran Khan on Health Dr. Faisal Sultan assured that he would personally look into the matter.