Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar has said the health budget in 2013-18 was only Rs169 billion while the incumbent government has increased it from Rs369 billion to Rs399 billion in the current financial year.
In a statement issued on Friday, the CM said work is underway on health projects in the Lahore division worth Rs36.65 billion. The state-of-the-art mother and child block is being constructed at Ganga Ram Hospital for Rs7 billion. A 1,000-bed hospital will be constructed on Ferozepur Road at a total cost of Rs8 billion. In the first phase, a 100-bed hospital will be made functional, he added.
The CM said the emergency and trauma centres will be built at Jinnah Hospital and Services Hospital while Child Health Sciences University will be constructed for Rs4 billion. Alongside, the up-gradation of various wards of Lady Willington Hospital will cost Rs35.5 billion, he noted.
He said the hospital management information system is being brought in collaboration with Punjab Information Technology Board to bring government hospitals in a paperless era. The reforms would ensure the best health facilities for the citizens, he added.
In three years, the government has set up 78 new health facilities and 91 new health projects have also been included in the district development package. A total of Rs37.25 billion has been allocated for free medicines at hospitals across the province.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 15th, 2022.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ