By Malik Faisal Munir /DNA
ATTOCK: Punjab Minister for Health, Khawaja Imran Nazir, has said that Chief Minister Punjab, Ms. Maryam Nawaz Sharif, is taking practical steps to ensure the provision of quality healthcare facilities at the doorstep of the people, and that improvement of the health sector is the government’s top priority. He said that, in line with the Chief Minister’s vision, the establishment of modern, fully equipped hospitals and health units will usher in a new and strengthened era for the province’s healthcare system.
He expressed these views while addressing the ceremony held to announce the construction of a 200-bed modern hospital in Jhari Kas, a village in Tehsil Hassan Abdal. The provincial minister was accompanied by senior Pakistan Muslim League (N) leader Zafar Iqbal Jhagra, Captain (R) Muhammad Safdar, Deputy Commissioner Attock Rao Atif Raza, CEO Health Dr. Asad Ismail, and other relevant officials.
Khawaja Imran Nazir said that Jhari Kas is an important area located at the junction of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where, for the first time, such a modern and fully facilitated hospital is being established. He informed that the hospital will comprise 200 beds, while 310 kanals of land have been allocated for the project. Once completed, the facility will not only benefit the people of Punjab but will also provide quality healthcare to residents of bordering areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
He stated that the feasibility report of the project is being finalized soon, and Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif will personally lay the foundation stone. The hospital will be equipped with state-of-the-art medical equipment, diagnostic systems, emergency care, labour rooms, operation theatres, and all essential facilities.
Addressing the ceremony, the provincial minister further shared that 911 ‘Clinics on Wheels’ are currently providing services across the province, and more than 20 million people have so far benefited from these mobile healthcare units. He reiterated that it is the government’s mission to provide immediate, effective, and dignified medical facilities to the public.
On this occasion, the provincial minister also visited Tehsil Headquarters Hospital Hassan Abdal, where he reviewed administrative affairs and inspected the services being provided to patients. He directed that visiting patients must be provided with timely and quality treatment and instructed improvements in cleanliness, availability of medicines, and staff attendance.
