Deaths of four cancer patients: PA speaker asks Dr Yasmeen to form inquiry committee

Expressing sympathies with the cancer patients, Speaker Punjab Assembly Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi has asked the Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmeen Rashid, to form an inquiry committee to look into the matter of non-provision of medicines to the cancer patients and fix responsibility against those responsible for the deaths of four cancer patients.
He gave these directions after the question of PPP parliamentary leader Syed Hassan Murtaza on point of order regarding protest of cancer patients on non availability of cancer medicines in the hospitals.
Pervez Elahi also directed the Health Minister to talk with the chief minister Usman Buzdar regarding ensuring issuing of funds for the purchase of cancer medicines. He said minister should ensure that no such incident would take place in future.
While responding to the point of order Health Minister Dr Yasmeen Rashid said that government had not stopped the supply of medicine but as the contract was near ending with the Novartis Company and the government was holding the audit of the five years contract. During the interim period the company stopped the supply. She told the House that she was personally handling the issue. Earlier, while speaking on the point of order Hassan Murtaza questioned that why not an FIR should be registered against minister who was responsible of the death of four cancer patients. He said that in the tenure of any previous government it was never happened that cancer patients don't get medicines.
The House passed Punjab Alternative Dispute Resolution Bill 2019. While the University of Mianwali Ordinance 2019, The Punjab Public Private Partnership Ordinance 2019, The Punjab Medical Teaching Institutions (Reforms) Ordinance 2019 and the Punjab Probation and Parole Service Ordinance 2019 were laid in the House.