Improvement of health sector priority: CM

LAHORE

Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has said that improvement of health sector and provision of quality healthcare facilities to the masses is among the priorities of the government. He said that funds of billions of rupees had been given for extending modern health facilities to the people. He said that comprehensive reforms were being introduced for uplift of health sector and improvement of treatment facilities. He said an effective strategy had been evolved to provide medicines and remove shortage of paramedics in remote areas. He said that all-out resources had been made available to improve public health facilities and the Punjab government would continue to provide funds for this purpose in future as well.

He was addressing a meeting through a video conference from London which reviewed different measures for provision of quality healthcare facilities to the masses. The chief minister said that provision of modern treatment facilities to the masses was the mission of the government and collective efforts were needed for this purpose. He said that service to ailing humanity was also a form of worship. He said that provision of quality medical facilities to the people of the province was a collective responsibility and all institutions concerned will have to play their due role in this regard. He said that access to quality healthcare facilities was the basic right of citizens. He said there was a need to improve the system of production and supply of quality medicines. He said that all institutions concerned should play an effective role to ensure supply of quality medicines to hospitals while a comprehensive mechanism was needed for storage of drugs. 

The chief minister said that persons involved in production and sale of spurious drugs were enemies of humanity and indiscriminate crackdown should be continued against such elements. He said no leniency would be shown to such elements as were playing with the lives of people and those involved in this heinous trade should be behind the bars. Shahbaz Sharif said that provision of quality medicines to patients was the responsibility of government; therefore, indiscriminate legal action should be taken against those involved in the production and sale of spurious and substandard drugs. He said that multidimensional steps would have to be taken for improving healthcare services so that better treatment facilities could become available to citizens.

He said a state-of-the-art Pakistan Kidney and Liver Institute and Research Centre was being set up in the provincial metropolis and this project would tremendously improve public health facilities. He said that modern treatment facilities for kidney and liver diseases would become available to patients under one roof with the completion of the project. He said that Pakistan Kidney and Liver Institute and Research Centre would be a unique institution of its kind in the country and the project would be a milestone with regard to public health facilities.