Bilawal offers 'assistance' to Punjab govt over health strategy

KARACHI: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari offered the services of Sindh Chief Minister (CM) Syed Murad Ali Shah and Health Minister Dr Azra Fazal Pechuhu to the Punjab government to carry out ‘record’ works in the health department.

Addressing the inauguration ceremony of a 120-bed Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and 110-bed Department of Neurology and Stroke Unit at the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC), Bilawal suggested that during Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s next visit to Karachi, he should be taken on a tour of health facilities in the Karachi.

“We want similar hospitals in Lahore so that people there can also benefit from free treatment. We are ready to send CM Murad Ali Shah and Dr Azra Pechuhu to Punjab to assist in establishing similar hospitals,” he added.

Bilawal said that the best hospitals in Pakistan are located in Sindh, citing the JPMC, National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD), and National Institute of Child Health (NICH) as the top healthcare institutions in the country.

He added that while negative news about Pakistan is often circulated on various media platforms, these three institutions stand as beacons of hope. He termed these hospitals as exemplary models of good governance and successful public-private partnerships by the provincial government, adding that they are proof of how effectively the province has managed its institutions post the 18th Constitutional Amendment.

“You may have heard criticisms suggesting that the Sindh government does nothing or that we do not undertake mega projects. But actions speak louder than words,” the PPP chief added.

He said that after the devolution of powers from the centre, the PPP-led provincial government has established the ‘world’s largest’ heart hospital, NICVD, offering free treatment to patients.

“Furthermore, NICH is providing free healthcare services to children. The JPMC’s CyberKnife machine, used for cancer treatment, is available in only a handful of countries globally,” Bilawal said.

He said that while cancer treatment using this machine abroad costs over a thousand dollars, JPMC offers the same treatment for free, a facility unmatched anywhere else in the world.

In addition, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari participated in a signing ceremony between the Patients’ Aid Foundation and the Sindh government for the Radiation Oncology Section at JPMC. The ceremony was also attended by Chief Minister Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah, Health Minister Dr. Azra Fazal Pechuho, provincial ministers, assembly members, and party leaders.