Free healthcare offered to deserving patients

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced on Sunday that the government was committed to providing state-of-the-art free healthcare facilities to deserving patients nationwide.

During the groundbreaking ceremony of the Jinnah Medical Complex in Islamabad, the prime minister highlighted that the Complex would become one of the region’s premier medical centres, offering 100% free medical treatment to deserving individuals.

“This is the gift of the coalition government not only for the residents of Rawalpindi and Islamabad but also for the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and Gilgit Baltistan,” PM Shehbaz Sharif stated.

Once completed, the medical complex will offer world-class healthcare services, including specialised treatment for heart, kidney, lung, and cancer-related diseases.

A modern emergency first aid section, complete with air ambulance services for patients from remote areas, will also be established.

The prime minister further elaborated that the hospital would include nursing schools and laboratories, with deserving patients receiving 100% free lab tests.

“This model, envisioned by PML-N President Nawaz Sharif, aims to provide free medical facilities to the poor and on-payment services to the affluent at the same place,” he emphasised. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed gratitude to Chairman HBL Sultan Ali Allana and Prince Rahim Aga Khan for their free technical consultancy support for the project. He also acknowledged the Aga Khan Foundation’s decades-long service to the country.

He directed the authorities to complete the project within a year, acknowledging the ambitious nature of this timeline but stressing that it was achievable through determination and hard work. He assured that funding would not be an issue.

The prime minister also thanked Islamabad Chief Commissioner Ali Randhawa for providing land for the project, as well as the finance minister, finance secretary, and planning minister for their support. APP