ISLAMABAD: A Senate committee was on Friday assured that an MRI machine will be installed at Polyclinic Hospital in February.

Senator Abdul Shakoor Khan chaired the meeting of the Senate Functional Committee on Government Assurances held at Parliament House.

The committee reviewed the assurance given by the Minister for National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination during the Senate sitting held on January 4, 2022, regarding the provision of an MRI machine at the Federal Government Polyclinic Hospital and the repair of the MRI machine at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims).

It was reported that the MRI machine at Pims had been in working condition since September 2023.

The MRI machine for Polyclinic, however, will be installed in February 2025, as per negotiations with the government of Japan. The machine has already arrived in the hospital, but due to circumstances in the country, the installation was delayed by the government of Japan.

Meeting also deliberates on missing files of two houses located in I-10/4 and F-11/3 sectors

Missing plot files

The meeting also deliberated on the missing files of two houses located in the I-10/4 and F-11/3 sectors.

The CDA claimed that they had initiated an internal inquiry and found the allotment of the plot in I-10/4 to be fake. However, the chairman of the committee expressed dissatisfaction with the CDA’s handling of the matter. He said if the file was not found within a specified time frame, the issue will be sent to the Senate chairman.

The secretary Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs said this was a sensitive matter and must be revisited by analysing the initial court orders. Similarly, the issue of another missing file of a plot in F-11/3 was also discussed. The secretary Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs remarked that the issue had not been discussed in the House and a proper procedure within the mandate of the Senate committee should be followed.

The chairman of the committee, in consensus with the members, said the case should be routed through a proper channel.

Furthermore, the issue regarding the cumbersome and difficult claims process provided by Jubilee Insurance for the employees of Bahria University Islamabad was also discussed. The Higher Education Commission (HEC) reported that out of 5,706 cases, 5,693 had been approved with only 13 cases remaining, which were expected to be resolved within 10 working days.

The committee also discussed the assurance given by the Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication during the Senate sitting held on August 4, 2022, to resolve unavailability of 4G data and voice call services in the Dheri Mera area of Abbottabad.

Senator Kamran Murtaza, who raised this issue, expressed his frustration and said the matter remained unresolved. Other committee members also lamented that areas in Balochistan and Waziristan faced even worse conditions and recommended that regions with connectivity issues across Pakistan be included in the list of recommendations.

Published in Dawn, December 7th, 2024