LAHORE: Inaugurating the 15-day ‘typhoid vaccination drive’ at a local hotel on Wednesday, Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar said the PTI-led government is striving hard to improve the quality of life of a common man with focus on the health of mother and child.

During the first phase starting from February 1, children from 9 months to 15 years will be vaccinated in 12 districts while the second phase will begin in the month of May to vaccinate 19.3 million children in urban areas of 24 other districts.

Addressing the ceremony, the CM announced to add typhoid conjugate vaccination in the schedule of immunization programme, adding that Pakistan will be the first country to take this initiative. He said the construction of seven new mother and child hospitals has been started in Lahore, Layyah, Rajanpur, Sialkot, Bahawalnagar, Attock and Mianwali.

New medical colleges and universities will also be established in phases while the University of Child Health was being established at Children’s Hospital in Lahore, he continued.

Further, he said, the scope of ‘Sehat Sahulat Card Programme’ has been extended to 36 districts and free medicines were also being provided to patients through Insaf Medicine Card facility.

He disclosed that Rs 8 billion were being spent on upgradation of hospitals in Attock, Chiniot, DG Khan, Mianwali, Jhang, Kasur, Lodhran and Rajanpur through the prime minister’s health initiative.

Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmeen Rashid, Education Minister Murad Raas, and secretary primary and secondary healthcare department also addressed.

Moreover, PML-N’s MPA Muhammad Arshad called on CM Sardar Usman Buzdar at his office on Wednesday and reposed his trust in the CM.

The CM assured to solve the constituency-related problems and issued immediate instructions in this regard. Muhammad Arshad appreciated that the CM has always solved the problems of the MPAs, adding that the amount of respect and honour, given by CM Usman Buzdar, was unthinkable in the past.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021