Minister Finance, Excise & Taxation Mujtaba Shuja-ur-Rehman has said the government is paying full attention towards provision of state-of-the-art healthcare facilities to the people at grassroots level. He stressed upon the doctors community for launching massive awareness campaign for sensitising the people about hazardous aspects of smoking with a view to prevent cardiovascular diseases besides lungs, bronchitis and various types of lungs cancer.
He said the government had provided Rs 121.8 billion for the health sector and extra Rs 2 billion for controlling communicable diseases whereas, it has also increased 19.8 percent budget for ongoing expenditure of health sector. The government had reserved Rs 2 billion to achieve the millennium development goals (MDGs).
While talking to various delegations regarding World Heart Day here, Mujtaba Shuja-ur-Rehman said in Pakistan itself, more than 40 percent of the adultery population over the age of 45 suffered from one form or the other of non-communicable disease, such as heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and cancer and the trend seemed to be on the rise. "This increasing trend is likely to double the burden of disease in developing countries and clearly is likely to have significant health economic implications as a result of cost of care and lost productivity costs," he maintained.
He said risk factors involved in heart diseases could be controlled through exercises and spending simple life style, however he also stressed the need for creating awareness among the general public about the heart diseases and their risk factors ie smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, obesity as well as physical inactivity and use of tobacco. The people should live a simple life and change their eating habits to protect themselves from cardiovascular diseases, he added.
The Minister said Punjab government was focusing on the provision of education and healthcare facilities to the common people specially people living in remote and far-flung areas and had taken revolutionary steps through re-engineering of resources in the field of education and health so that modern educational as well as latest medical facilities could be provided to the people at their door steps.
Meanwhile, addressing the people at a relief camp set up by PML-N for flood-affectees, Mujtaba said people and Punjab government would continue to send relief goods in flood-affected areas and people were standing with their flood-affected brothers. He stressed upon the philanthropists to give maximum donations for their flood affectees brothers.
He said that arrangements for payment were being made at every union council of flood-hit areas and arrangements were also being made in schools of those areas where most of the people affected. He said steps were being taken for making the procedure of payment simple and transparent and service centres would work from 8am to 8pm daily for providing financial assistance. Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif was personally supervising relief activities and visiting flood-hit areas daily on war footing, he concluded.
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