Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on Tuesday reaffirmed his government's commitment to provide basic health facilities to people, saying that perpetual changes of governments in the past have adversely affected the health sector.
Terming the continuity of economic policies as imperative for the development, the Prime Minister made it clear that the government would never take U-turn on its policies.
He was speaking at foundation laying ceremony of 16-storey Medical Tower at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) to be built at a cost of Rs 2.2 billion.
Federal Health Minister Muhammad Nasir Khan, Secretary Syed Anwar Mehmood, PIMS Executive Director Dr Fazl-e-Hadi and other senior doctors were also present on the occasion.
Although, the authorities had made arrangements to facilitate people visiting the hospital in presence of Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz but thin presence of doctors who were attending the ceremony in large numbers caused great inconvenience for the poor patients.
Addressing the participants, PM said political instability in the past has badly affected the country's economy, especially the health sector. The government is determined to improve the healthcare facilities across the country and no stone would be left unturned in this regard, he said.
Speaking about the Medical Tower, the Prime Minister said it would be a state-of-the-art medical facility where people would be provided modern healthcare facilities.
He went on saying that the around 2000 jobs of doctors, paramedics and other staff would be created who would perform their duties in multi-storey Medical Tower.
He informed the participants that some of the latest equipment to cure heart diseases has already arrived at hospital, saying Pakistan would be among few Asian countries with the state-of-the-art facility. He vowed to make such modern health centres across the country.
Appreciating the performance of PIMS, Shaukat said, it was a centre of medical expertise and played a remarkable role during the catastrophic earthquake.
He continued that the government was also working on preventive healthcare programmes including HIV/AIDS, hepatitis, fight against blindness and the maternal mortality.
The PM lauded the role of leading private hospitals such as Shaukat Khanum Memorial Hospital, Shifa International Hospital and Aga Khan Hospital.
In his briefing, PIMS Executive Director Dr Fazl-e-Hadi said there would maximum modern health facilities for the patients in 500-bed Medical Tower. Keeping in view the increasing number of patients, a new operation theatre would also be constructed besides setting up new pathology laboratory, library and an auditorium.
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