Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali has said that the federal and Punjab governments would jointly set up a liver transplant centre in Lahore.
The Prime minister made this announcement at the inauguration of the PIMS symposium on "Meeting challenges in Health" on Saturday evening.
Jamali stated that Karachi has recently set up a liver transplant centre for control of the liver diseases, especially hepatitis B and C, Lahore would also have one as a joint venture of the centre and Punjab governments.
He also prompted the PIMS' authorities to prepare the proposal for liver centre at the Institute and that the federal government would support it.
Health minister Mohammed Naseer Khan, Health Secretary Tariq Farooq and PIMS executive Director Syed Fazle Hadi also addressed the inaugural session, commending the reforms efforts at the hospital since the previous management was shunted out and their plans for expansion and improvements of various facilities.
Prime Minister hoped that the Friends of PIMS, a voluntary organisation, would be able to raise with the help of philanthropists Rs 200 million, to set up the proposed emergency and trauma centres.
Jamali announced that the anti polio drive in the country has been successful and that Pakistan will become polio free country within a year. This he stressed was no mean achievement.
The audience greeted the Prime Minister's announcement that PIMS has been granted the status of postgraduate medical college for teaching in various specialities with loud applause.
Earlier, Health Minister Mohammed Naseer Khan spoke about government plans to make PIMS a centre of excellence in medical education and health care.
He said that the government was on the verge of eradicating polio from the country.
He stated that improvement of the quality of life especially of the poor were close to the heart of the planners. He said that no government could afford to provide medical care to all its citizens but could help prevent incidence of diseases.
Health Minister regretted that the health statistics of the country were very dismaying, especially the poor were the worst victims. He said Pakistan has one of the highest infant and mortality rates; and that 80 percent of births take place at home.
Though the country can boast of a large population of doctors and fairly high proportion percentage of specialities, there is acute shortage of nursing staff and paramedics, Naseer Khan concluded.