The Punjab government and the international institution Novartis signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to provide medical and healthcare to cancer patients. The MoU was signed by Secretary Health Arif Nadeem on behalf of Punjab government, while Country Director Oncology of Novartis Shafique Ahmed signed on behalf of Novartis.
Head of Oncology, Singapore Region, of an international institution, Novartis Francis Bouchard called on Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif at Arfa Karim Software Technology Park, here on Thursday. Special Assistant Khawaja Salman Rafique, Dr Ramesh Kumar, Head of Hindu Council Chairman Planning and Development, Secretaries Health and Finance, Country Director Novartis Shafique Ahmed besides Dr Faisal Masood, Professor Mehmood Shaukat and other concerned officers were also present. Talking on the signing ceremony, Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif said that no act of faith could be better than serving the ailing humanity. He said Punjab government was spending billions of rupees to ensure provision of modern medical facilities to the common man.
He said apart from making substantial increase in the salaries of medical staff, including doctors, Punjab government has allocated billions of rupees for provision of free-of-cost medicines to poor patients at government hospitals. He said collaboration between Novartis and Punjab government was a welcome sign, adding that MoU between Novartis and Punjab government was a positive step and pointed out that as many as 13 medical centres were operating in Punjab to provide healthcare to the cancer patients.
He said new medical centres for cancer patients would also be established in Multan, Faisalabad, Rawalpindi and Services Hospital Lahore. He said Punjab government realised the financial constraints faced by cancer patients with regard to medical expense, due to which Punjab government was vigorously endeavouring to provide better health facilities for treatment of that deadly disease.
He said the signing of MoU between Punjab government and Novartis was part of the same process and pointed out that Novartis International was performing extraordinarily to provide effective healthcare to the cancer patients. Talking on the occasion, Head of Oncology of Novartis Francis Bouchard said that steps taken by Punjab government for improvement of health sector were highly laudable. He said he had come to Lahore and Pakistan for the first time, and had been greatly impressed by Lahore's progress and sanitation. He said, as a result of steps taken by the Punjab government, Lahore had become one of the developed cities of the world.