Punjab govt withdraws Rs50m funds from Turbat hospital project

LAHORE: Punjab government has withdrawn funds from Punjab’s project of a general hospital in Turbat, Balochistan, already earmarked under current fiscal year’s Annual Development Programme (ADP). Punjab government withdrew Rs50 million, allocated under this year’s ADP of Specialised Healthcare and Medical Education Department (SHC&MED), which were meant for establishing a 100-bed general hospital in Turbat. During his visit of Balochistan in July last year, Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar had announced establishment of a 100-bed hospital in Turbat and a complex for pilgrims in Taftan at a cost of Rs1 billion. An amount of Rs750 million was allocated for the construction of hospital in Turbat, while an amount of Rs250 million was to be spent on the complex for pilgrims at Pak-Iran border in Taftan. Buzdar had also handed over a cheque of Rs1 billion to the Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan on the occasion. In November 2020, Prime Minister Imran Khan had also visited Turbat and announced various development schemes. The sources in SHC&MED informed that the department had withdrawn Rs50 million from the project and diverted the funds to ongoing schemes in certain public sector hospitals in Punjab. However, SHC&MED Secretary Barrister Nabeel A. Awan did not respond to the query in this connection.