Sindh Caretaker Chief Minister Justice (retd) Maqbool Baqar and Punjab Caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi visited the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD) to witness its patient service, structure and performance so that a similar institute could be established in Punjab.
During their visit both the chief ministers interacted with the patients in the emergency and in the CCU and asked about the services and the care being provided to them. The patients and their attendants expressed their satisfaction and told the chief minister that they were being provided with free-of-cost treatment for the medicines.
To a question, the new Executive Director of NICVD Dr Tahir Saghir told the CM that all the treatments from emergency to open heart surgery, angioplasty and angiography were all being carried out free of cost.
Talking to the media at NICVD the Punjab chief minister said that the purpose of his visit to NICVD was to get first-hand information and witness the quality of treatment and care so that a similar institution could be established in Punjab. Naqvi expressed his satisfaction and appreciated the provincial government for establishing such an institution in the public sector.
Robot funds
Replying to a question, CM Baqar said that he has no dispute with his caretaker health minister. “This is a simple issue of the mandate which is being misinterpreted,” he said and added that the budget for the purchase of robots for surgery was passed by the provincial assembly, and the tender for the procurement of the robots was floated by the previous government which the caretaker chief minister cancelled without any lawful authority.
Another issue which has also remained misunderstood is that the caretaker health minister wanted to reallocate funds meant for buying robots for the improvement of the hospital.
Justice Baqar said that being a caretaker government he was not authorised to change the approved allocations.
Earlier the two caretaker chief ministers discussed the sugarcane price fixed by the Sindh government at Rs425 per 40 kg. The Punjab chief minister said that they have fixed it at Rs400 per 40 kg.
Baqar said that the sucrose content in the sugarcane grown in Sindh was higher than that of of Punjab, therefore, the price was always higher in Sindh.
The two chief ministers also discussed the joint clean-up operation against the dacoits in the Riverine areas of Sindh and Punjab.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 16th, 2023.
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