Attock to get Mother and Child Hospital

Punjab health minister says facility will be set up in building vacated by Comsats University

ATTOCK: The incumbent government is according priority to health sector and its ample proof is 28,000 fresh recruitments for hospitals and basic health units and issuance of health cards to 50,000 people across the province.

Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid said this during her visit to a site in Attock where Mother and Child Hospital will be built over an area of 72 kanals at the cost of more than Rs4 billion. She was accompanied by Punjab Public Accounts Committee Chairman Syed Yawar Abbas Bokhari, Attock Deputy Commissioner Ali Anan Qamar, Assistant Comissioner Jannat Hussain Nekokara, District Health Authority CEO Dr Sohail Ejaz, Public Relations Deputy Director Shehzad Niaz Khokhar and other officials.

Dr Yasmin said that funds will be allocated for this hospital in the next financial year, while temporarily this hospital will start functioning in a seven-room building which vacated by Comsats University in a couple of months. She said the Mother and Child Hospital will be well equipped having state of the art facilities both for mothers and their children.

The minister said remarkable progress has been made in health sector across Punjab and now most of the public sector hospitals are well equipped and said that specially 98% basic health units are now having qualified doctors, paramedics and medicines.

Mobile hospital, thermal scanners set up at Torkham

Dr Yasmin said that 28,000 vacant posts in health department have been filled while remaining vacancies are being filled gradually. She said the government has issued 50,000 health insurance cards to people while in next phase health cards will be issued to all government employees. She specially asked the concerned authorities to send her a report regarding THQ Hospital Pindigheb with recommendations for improvement of the hospital.

She directed the district administration to ensure all preventive measures to avoid spread of coronavirus and ensure closure of all universities, colleges, schools, seminaries, marriage halls and not to allow any other public gathering. The minister also visited District Headquarters Hospital Attock to know about the facilities being provided to indoor and out-door patient department. Earlier on her arrival DC Attock Ali Anan Qamar briefed the provincial health minister about the site where the Mother and Child Hospital will be built.

The minister also visited the building which will be vacated by Comsats University where Mother and Child Hospital will start functioning temporarily. On the other hand people have lauded the decision of the government for temporary establishment of the hospital in a building which will be vacated by Comsats University.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 15^th, 2020.