Minister advises Nawaz Sharif to come back

LAHORE: Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid has said former prime minister Nawaz Sharif must come back as he has not sought treatment for nine months, which means his health is okay.

Talking to the media here on Saturday, the minister said Nawaz Sharif had gone abroad claiming he needed cardiac treatment which he has not done so far. She said Nawaz Sharif must come back to the country if he is well, adding the impact of treatment on Nawaz Sharif had started coming after eight weeks of his treatment in Pakistan.

“Nawaz Sharif got better as soon as he reached London,” she said, adding had he not been well, he would have been hospitalised.

Earlier, the minister inaugurated Girls Hostel and a zoo at the Punjab Institute of Mental Health. A seminar in connection with the World Mental Health Day was also organised where the minister participated as chief guest.

In her speech, the minister said, “I appreciate this great effort by Executive Director PIMH and Principal SIMS Dr Mehmud Ayaz. The Girls Hostel has been constructed at a cost of 45 million rupees. In the 25 rooms, same facilities have been arranged as are provided to doctors and nurses. The day reminds us to renew our pledge to take care of people facing mental illnesses. For doctor, treatment of mental patients is the most difficult task. Brains of such patients start shrinking and their entire families are affected. The government wants to further upgrade this institution and we plan to set up four units in the Institute equipped with Counseling Center and Memory Clinics to take better care of these patients.”

The minister also discussed the Corona situation and said that as per vision of Prime Minister Khan and Chief Minister Usman Buzdar, Punjab has been able to control Corona Pandemic efficiently. Lockdowns are being imposed in many countries including America, Brazil and India.

She said the pandemic has affected the global economy and Punjab has developed SOPs for public gatherings. Corona cases may increase if we do not follow SOPs, she added.

The health minister said, “We have hired 32,000 doctors on merit and around 50pc positions were lying vacant in the health department (s) two years back. At the Post Graduate Institute of Midwifery, degree will be issued for Nurses. Sehat Insaf Cards have been distributed among 5.2 million families. Universal Health Coverage is being provided in Punjab as we are scaling up the Sehat Insaf Cards to include eight million families. All cardiology hospitals have been empanelled in Sehat Insaf Cards Programme. It is for the first that seven Mother and Child Hospitals are being set up in Punjab. New hospitals with addition of 100 to 1500 beds are in the pipeline for Lahore.”