Free health care provided to deserving patients

ISLAMABAD:

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday announced that the government is committed to providing free state-of-the-art healthcare facilities to deserving patients across the country.

Addressing the inauguration ceremony of Jinnah Medical Complex in Islamabad, the Prime Minister stressed that the complex would become one of the leading medical centres in the region, providing 100 percent free medical treatment to deserving people.

“This is the gift of the coalition government not only for the people of Rawalpindi and Islamabad but also for the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan,” Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said.

Once completed, the medical complex will offer world-class health services, including specialized treatments for heart, kidney, lung and cancer diseases.

A modern emergency first aid section, supplemented by air ambulance services for patients in remote areas, will also be created.

The Prime Minister also clarified that the hospital would include nursing schools and laboratories, with deserving patients receiving 100 per cent free laboratory tests.

“This model, conceived by PML-N President Nawaz Sharif, aims to provide free medical facilities to the poor and paid services to the rich at the same place,” he stressed. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed gratitude to HBL Chairman Sultan Ali Allana and Prince Rahim Aga Khan for their free technical support to the project. He also lauded the Aga Khan Foundation’s decades of service to the country.

He called on the authorities to complete the project within a year, acknowledging the ambitious nature of the timetable but stressing that it was achievable through determination and hard work. He assured that funding would not be a problem.

The Prime Minister also thanked Islamabad Chief Commissioner Ali Randhawa for providing the land for the project and the Finance Minister, Finance Secretary and Planning Minister for their support.