Punjab approves Rs1.1b for CT scanners

Allocates Rs300m for Benazir Bhutto General Hospital

RAWALPINDI:

The Punjab government has approved Rs1.1 billion for the installation of modern CT scan machines at three major hospitals in the province, including Rawalpindi's Benazir Bhutto General Hospital. Patients at the hospital had been facing difficulties because its existing CT scanner frequently developed faults.

According to the Health Department, the provincial government has approved Rs1.1 billion for the provision of modern CT scanners at three major public-sector hospitals.

An amount of Rs500 million has been allocated for the purchase of a modern whole-body multi-ultrafast CT scanner for cardiac examinations at the Punjab Institute of Cardiology in Lahore.

Similarly, Rs300 million has been approved for installing a 128-slice CT scanner in the emergency department of Lahore General Hospital to replace its old machine.

Another Rs300 million has been sanctioned for purchasing a modern 128-slice CT scanner for Benazir Bhutto Hospital in Rawalpindi.

Administrative approval for all three projects has been granted by Punjab Health Secretary Azmat Mahmood.

Secretary of Specialised Healthcare and Medical Education Azmat Mahmood said that, under the vision of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif, work was under way on projects worth billions of rupees to provide modern medical and diagnostic facilities to people across the province.

He said the Punjab government remained committed to providing quality healthcare facilities to the people.

Allied hospitals get Rs6.9b

On the other hand, the 20th meeting of the Syndicate of Rawalpindi Medical University (RMU) has approved an annual budget of Rs6.9 billion for the university and its three allied hospitals for the financial year 2026–27, along with Rs338.7 million for the PLA account and additional funds exceeding Rs688.8m to meet outstanding liabilities from the previous financial year.

The Syndicate approved the revised budget for the previous financial year, the budget for the current financial year and the university's revised budget relating to the Higher Education Commission.

It also approved Rs196.1m for the improvement and rehabilitation of the sewerage system at Holy Family Hospital (HFH). An allocation of Rs29.3m was approved for payments to the National Institute of Health (NIH) for the purchase of vaccines, while Rs38.6m was sanctioned for the settlement of contingency bills.

The meeting further approved the nomination of new Syndicate members to the university's Selection Board, adoption of the Undergraduate Attendance Policy 2027, and nominations to the Board of Advanced Studies and Research.

The meeting was chaired by Punjab Health Minister Khawaja Salman Rafique and attended by RMU Vice-Chancellor Major General (retd) Sohail Amin, Syndicate members Dr Jamal Nasir, General (retd) Aslam and Dr Semi Gul, Syed Tahir Shahbaz, Parliamentary Secretary and Syndicate member Ziaullah Shah, Director Budget and Accounts Hammadur Rehman, Deputy Secretary Medical Education Usama Javed, and the medical superintendents of the university's three allied hospitals.