Punjab Assembly passes four bills

Punjab Assembly here on Wednesday passed four bills under the chair of acting speaker Sher Ali Gorchani. The bills passed were: 'The Punjab Public Private Partnership Bill 2014', 'Muhammad Nawaz Sharif University of Engineering and Technology Multan Bill 2014,' 'The Punjab Mental Health (Amendment) Bill 2014' and 'The Punjab Industrial Relations Amendment Bill 2014.'
In the house opposition benches led by Leader of Opposition Mahmud-u-Rashid strongly protested for the non-availability of funds. Their members tear the copies of agenda and surrounded the chair. They agitated that it has nearly been a year since promises of funding the opposition have not been fulfilled. They pointed that non-availability of these funds have hampered development efforts in their constituencies.
MPA Mahmud-u-Rashid stated that they will hold camps on the issue. He also castigated unabated price spiral affecting the masses on the occasion. He said they would continue with the protest. During the query session on health Parliamentary Secretary Imran Nazeer stated that construction of new emergency unit of Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi Institute of Cardiology Multan was in final stage. He stated that Rs 43.986 had been allocated for this development.
Parliamentary Secretary to a question said there was one city scan machine in Multan Nishtar Hospital. In another question he said that in year 2012-13 Rs 510,215,000 were allocated for free provision of medicines in Services Hospital. In the same year Rs 580 had been kept under the head in MAYO Hospital. He averred that in year 2012-13, Rs 304.743 million had been allocated for poor patients in Lahore General Hospital.
In another health query, parliamentary secretary told that MRI Machines were available at Lahore Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Children Hospital, Lahore Jinnah Hospital and Lahore General Hospital. He said old MRI machine in Children Hospital would be replaced soon. Parliamentary Secretary Health said that there were 85 hospitals in Punjab at present. The house was later adjourned by the chair.