PPP rejects govt’s move to make changes to 18th Amend

MULTAN: The Pakistan People’s Party has rejected the government move to amend the 18th Amendment.

Talking to journalists here on Thursday, PPP south Punjab senior vice president Khawaja Rizwan Alam said that the ‘incompetent’ government is making preparation to review the 18th Amendment after failing to combat corona pandemic. This would create political as well as constitutional crises in the country, he said, adding that the country could not afford any constitutional crisis at this stage.

He said that the PPP wouldn’t allow the government to review and bring desired changes in the 18th Amendment. He said that the government was planning to cut provinces’ share in the National Finance Award and the move would be resisted at all levels.

He said that the PPP had given provincial autonomy to the provinces. Khawaja Rizwan Alam said that efforts and conspiracies had been hatched against the PPP to keep it away from the power since it had passed the 18th Amendment. PPP MNA Naveed Amir Jeewa was also present on the occasion.

Facilities for corona patients: The Nishtar Hospital has upgraded facilities for corona patients and established the Punjab’s first Corona Suspects Emergency (CSE) in the hospital.

Briefing journalists about corona measures being taken in the hospital on Thursday, Nishtar Medical Health University Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Mustafa Kamal Pasha said that the Corona Suspects Emergency was established in the building of Outpatients Door. The CSE would exclusively entertain the corona suspects, he said, adding that all general patients would enter from Nishtar Hospital gate No-2 and directly approach the CSE where the doctors would perform their complete investigation. The general patients would refer to the main emergency after confirming that the patient had no symptoms of corona.

The CSE would also work as a filter clinic to attend corona suspects at an initial stage and dividing all patients into general patients and corona suspects, he added.

He said that the CSE was equipped with all necessary equipment, operation theatres, X-Ray and ultrasound machines and oxygen rooms. The doctors and nurses would be available round the clock at the CSE, the vice chancellor said. He said that facilities of surgery, ICU, high dependency unit were being provided at the corona block.

Speaking on the occasion Nishtar Medical College Principal Prof Dr Iftikhar Hussein said that he had allocated Ward No-12 exclusively for corona patients and he directed the officials to ensure availability of all equipment in corona wards.

A senior consultant was heading the Ward No 12, he added. Nishtar Hospital focal person Dr Irfan Arshad was also present on the occasion.