CM hopes expat medics invest in Pakistan

Says country needs the support of local doctors living abroad

LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif said that Pakistani doctors have proved their mettle in the UK as well as in other countries of the world.

He added that doctors, surgeons, physicians and health professionals working abroad had been great ambassadors of the country and now it was time for them to invest in the local health sector to serve fellow countrymen.



He said this while delivering a keynote address in a ceremony held in London related to the Punjab Health Road Show. “Punjab government has provided tremendous resources for the improvement of the health and education sectors. It is following the policy of a public-private partnership which has proven successful,” he added.

He said a nation or society cannot move further without improving its healthcare services. “My team has worked efficiently, diligently and with sovereign commitment to improve the healthcare system in Punjab,” he said.

“You support us and we shall provide you with every sort of facility and a comprehensive business model will be evolved to move further,” he added. He said the Punjab government had adopted unique steps to improve healthcare facilities and infrastructure has been made commensurate with current needs.

He said that there were various challenges, but effective measures had been adopted to deal with them. “Pakistan and UK have friendly economic relations historically and we appreciate the British support for the development of the health, education and social sectors, he added. “The cooperation of DFID was praiseworthy in these sectors.” He said labs in Punjab approved 99.9% samples of medicines. “When these medicines got tested from the UK’s labs,, only 33% of samples were passed by them,” he added. “The Punjab government had therefore made the drug testing labs harmonised with the latest needs, he said.



He added the provision of quality medicines to the people was being ensured and medicines worth billions of dollars had been purchased and their samples had been sent to international laboratories for analysis.

He said the Punjab government purchased medicines worth $600 million every year to provide the same to patients free of cost. “Similarly, MRI and CT scan machines in hospitals were kept out of order on purpose and ordinary people were forced to conduct their tests from outside,” he said. “However, we have installed medical equipment, especially CT scan machines, at hospitals through a public-private partnership,” he added.

The CM stated the Punjab government was providing these machines to all hospitals of the province. “With the installation, people will have a 24-hour facility at their doorsteps,” he maintained.

The chief minister said it was regrettable that no biomedical workshop was available in Pakistan, but assured work on these was under way.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 12^th, 2017.