Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Senator Anisa Zeb Tahirkheli has said the government was spending billions of rupees on the provision of improved health and education facilities to masses at their doorstep in the country.
Addressing the stone-laying ceremony of Khushnood Rizvi Mother and Child Welfare Hospital at Chowk Damailan, Saidpur Road on Monday night, she said the government had initiated various programme for extending better health services to mother and child aimed at scaling down the rate of mortality in the country.
Anisa Zeb said the government had set aside more than Rs 5 billion for providing the facility of clean drinking water to the masses living in remote and ignored parts of the country, adding the work on the programme had been initiated.
She pointed out that the government had concentrated its special attention on women development enabling them take active part in all round development of the country, saying that record development projects pertaining people's welfare had been completed by the present government in every nook and corner of the country.
The government was making extra-ordinary efforts to eradicate poverty from the grassroots level, while basic facilities like Sui gas, telecommunication, education, health and means of communications were being provided in backward and neglected parts of the country, she added.
Anisa Zeb stressed the need for setting up hospitals and modern laboratories for the poor and needy persons in every nook and corner of the country with the collective co-operation of philanthropists and well-off persons.
She called upon the wealthy persons and philanthropists to come forward and set up hospitals for minimising miseries of poor and needy persons, saying the government single-handedly could not fulfil its responsibilities unless the wealthy persons come forward and share the burden of the government.
The government is committed to discharging its responsibilities for providing ultra modern health cover to the masses, but at the same time the collaboration of well-to-do persons is need of the hour for reducing burden of the government, the minister added.
The establishment of hospitals and laboratories in the country are dire need to provide inexpensive medical treatment and facilities of various medical tests, she said.
The minister lauded the gesture of the family of (late) Khushnood Rizvi for donating highly valuable land for the establishment of the hospital.
Speaking on the occasion, Parliamentary Secretary Cabinet Division Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan said that free medical treatment and other health facilities would be ensured to mother and child in the hospital.
Dr Firdous said the proposed hospital would be completed on self-help basis at a cost of Rs 30 million and Shade NGO would generate funds for its accomplishment. The family members of (late) Khushnood Rizvi and a large number of elected representatives attended the stone-laying ceremony.