Punjab Population Welfare Minister Neelam Jabbar Chaudhary has said the government is promoting health, education and other social sectors on priority basis and a number of projects are being initiated for this purpose by the federal and provincial governments.
She said the strategy of the present government would leave a far-reaching impact on the process of social change as the promotion of social sector in vital importance for the creation of a civil society.
While talking to various delegations, Neelam Jabbar said the present government has given highest priority to health and education and the provincial health budget has been enhanced whereas additional resources would also be provided to accelerate the efforts for provision of state-of-the-art healthcare facilities to the masses.
She said the government had focused on the health of infants and mothers and for this purpose free delivery services were being provided to the pregnant women at rural health centers. She said that the programmes launched for the maternal and neonatal healthcare will ensure progress towards achieving the millennium development goals in maternal and infant health.
The provincial minister said that a new programme has been launched to establish community midwifery homes at the far-flung areas of the province to provide basic health facilities to child and mother and to look after their health as well as to minimise the maternal mortality rate during the child birth.
She said that community midwifery homes would be established at the villages, whereas, 142 RHS-A Centers would be established in the province whereas 129 Mobile Service Units would also be established for the provision of maternal and child healthcare in the province.
She said that with the co-operation of all segments of the society as well as the international donor organisations, polio will be completely wiped out from the country.
The minister said that parents, teachers and Ulema have to play their effective role for complete eradication of polio from the country whereas the government has also activated the education, local bodies, health and other departments in the anti-polio campaign. The mobile teams will administer polio drops to the children under five years of age throughout the province, during present anti-polio campaign, she added.