Extending support: ‘120 complaints filed with expats commission’

Overseas Pakistanis Commission Punjab inaugurated two days after its launch .

LAHORE:

“The Oversees Pakistanis Commission Punjab will protect the families and properties of expatriates,” said Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Friday.

The chief minister was addressing the inauguration ceremony of the commission in Model Town.

“I am aware of the problems overseas Pakistanis face in their home country. Their properties are taken over illegally and their families have to face many problems as a result,” he said.

“I want to assure Pakistanis living abroad that their families and properties would be protected,” he said.

The chief minister said he had told the chief secretary and the inspector general of police that negligence in resolving problems faced by oversees Pakistanis would not be tolerated.

“This commission isn’t a show-piece,” he said.

Participants of the ceremony were told that the commission’s website had been launched and complaints could be registered online.

These complaints would be sent to the officials concerned and the complainant would be kept informed about progress on the complaint.

A call centre would be established in a few weeks where expats could call and lodge their complaints.

The chief minister was told that 120 complaints had been submitted at the website within two days of its launch and 35 per cent had been resolved.

CM chairs health reforms meeting

Sharif later presided over a meeting to review the implementation of the Punjab Health Reforms Roadmap.

Addressing the meeting, the chief minister said disciplinary action should be taken against medical officers who proceeded on leave without permission from the competent authority.

He said availability of 18 essential drugs should be ensured at all basic health centres.

The chief minister said a plan should be evolved to outsource 100 basic health centres.

He said a citizen-feedback system should be launched.

He said recruitment of vaccinators at union council level should be completed by July.

The meeting decided that the ban on the transfer of executive district officers of the Health Department without the permission of chief minister would continue.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 28^th, 2015.