DG Khan set for further development says CM Buzdar

CM says 200-bed mother and child hospitals are on the cards

LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar announced several development projects while speaking at a graduation ceremony at Ghazi Medical College on Saturday.

The chief minister congratulated the graduating students and said many problems can be resolved if doctors adopt a polite attitude towards patients.

He stated that the South Punjab secretariat will begin operating soon. “Citizens will no longer have to travel to Lahore in order to have their issues resolved.” He added that an IT tower will also be constructed in Dera Ghazi Khan.

Buzdar said the provincial cabinet had approved the regularisation of contractual doctors and staff from other departments after three years of service. Previously, this period was four years earlier.

The chief minister said that 200-bed mother and child hospitals will be established in Rajanpur and Layyah. He stressed that in his maiden visit to the district, he announced 105 projects which he is personally monitoring.

Chief Minister Buzdar vows to develop Dera Ghazi Khan

“Previously, 40% of the budget was earmarked for South Punjab while only 12% of this amount was released,” he said.

Buzdar announced an auditorium, a girl’s hostel and a hostel for doctors at Ghazi Medical College. He maintained that buses will also be provided for female students enrolled at the college.

The chief minister highlighted that 100 seats will be increased at all medical colleges in the province and a state-of-the-art cardiology institute will be set up in Dera Ghazi Khan. He also announced that Rs4 billion will be earmarked for this purpose.

He said tenders have been issued to construct a Shahr-e-Khamoshan in Dera Ghazi Khan while work on the project will begin next month. Further, Rs270 million have been released to the solid waste management company in order to improve cleanliness in the district.

Tenders have also been issued to restore 75 water schemes. In addition to this, Dera Ghazi Khan Railway Station will be expanded and upgraded; talks have been held with the railways minister for this purpose, he said.

He added that the DG Khan Bypass Project has been delayed for quite some time. Around Rs5 billion will be earmarked for the project in the next budget. Moreover, Rs4 billion have been allocated for a road from Muzaffargarh to DG Khan, he said.

Buzdar vows to develop Southern Punjab

CM lays foundation stone

Later, the chief minister laid the foundation stone for Nishtar Hospital-II at Pull Balail. Speaking at the ceremony, the CM stated that special focus was being paid on providing basic health facilities. Various health projects have been initiated in the health sector, he said.

He revealed that Nishtar Hospital-II would be a 1,000 bed facility. The chief minister said that there will be a capacity of 120 beds in the hospital’s emergency ward. In the first phase, 500 beds will be established while in the second phase the remaining 500 beds, the medical college, the nursing college and others will be constructed, he added.

He maintained that the project will help in decreasing the burden on patients at Nishtar Hospital where 650,000 were provided medical treatment every month. “Nishtar Hospital is overburdened at patients from Khyber Paktunkhwa, Balochistan and other areas also visit the healthcare facility,” he stressed.

He added that the new hospital will be a state-of-the-art facility and that he will personally monitor the project.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 28^th, 2019.