MULTAN, Sept 21: Funds of Rs3.87 billion will be provided to complete the district’s incomplete flyover projects, Rs640 million for ongoing projects of the district government and tehsil municipal administrations and Rs470 million for new projects. This was stated by Food Security and Research Minister Haji Sikandar Hayat Bosan and the Chief Minister’s Special Assistant and Coordinator on Southern Punjab Saud Majid while addressing a meeting of the District Coordination Committee here on Saturday.

They said funds for mega projects in the district would be arranged from the federal government. The Defence Ministry would be contacted to acquire 111 kanals from the Cantonment Board for extension of Multan airport and construction of link road and sewerage system.

They said funds for the extension of Multan Institute of Cardiology and construction of a cancer department in Nishtar Hospital would be requested from the chief minister.

The leaders said recommendations for establishment of a medical university, veterinary university and management and technology university in the city would also be sent to the CM.

The minister said allocation of funds for health and education sectors would be given most importance and priority. He said free health facilities and education for every citizen was a target of the government and he would do all he could for provision of funds for incomplete projects in the city.

Taking notice of the reports of shortage of urea and its marketing in black, the minister directed the district coordination officer and city police officer to crack down against the elements selling fertiliser on high rates. He said the government had imported 300,000 tonnes of urea, but the fertiliser was being sold on high prices.

Saud Majid said approval for new posts in kidney centre, burns unit, intensive care unit of Nishtar Hospital; emergency ward of the cardiology institute and Nawaz Sharif Hospital would also be sought to ensure there was no delay in provision of health facilities to the public.

He said development funds of Rs10 million from each provincial and district government were being provided to all MPAs and claimed all their projects would be completed during the current fiscal year.

He said the provincial government would return Rs33 million to the Parks and Horticulture Authority while the construction of expressway from Jalalpur Pirwala to Nag Shah Chowk was a priority.

Senator Rafiq Rajwana said there was a need to upgrade the cancer ward of Nishtar Hospital. “There are only 22 beds in the ward while number of the patients in the region is more than 20,000,” he added.

Provincial Minister for Prisons Chaudhry Abdul Wahid said there was an immediate need for higher secondary schools on Old Shujabad Road, as thousands of girl children were forced to go to schools established outside the railway station.

DCO Syed Gulzar Hussain Shah in his briefing informed the meeting that Rs750 million had been allocated for the completion of Bosan Road, Rs530 million for Nag Shah Flyover, Rs40 million for University for Women Multan, Rs74 million for Nawaz Sharif Hospital, Rs300 million for Children Complex, Rs150 million for Judicial Complex and Rs100 million for the beautification of Nishtar Hospital. He said the district government would spend funds equally in all union councils.

Multan Institute of Cardiology Executive Director Dr Rana Altaf told the meeting nine operations were conducted daily in five operation theatres of the hospital, while about 700 patients visited the outdoor patients department daily but there were only 205 beds. He added an extension plan of 224 beds had been sent to the departments concerned, but to no avail.

Dr Altaf said over 90 per cent of patients who visited the institute were poor and to counter shortage of funds, donations of Rs3 million in the form of Zakat were collected from philanthropists to provide free medicines to poor patients.

Nishtar Medical College Principal Dr Sami Akhtar said his hospital was facing shortage of staff, particularly in the ICU.

He said the hospital had 1,100 beds but the number of patients was over 2,000. Over 6,000 patients visited the hospital daily, he added. He said there was an immediate need to increase the number of beds and staff in the hospital.