RAWALPINDI: Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid on Monday said three-time former prime minister Nawaz Sharif should fullfil his commitment to returning to the country as his health condition is now normal.

“The former premier went abroad on court orders for medical treatment and now his condition is normal and he should come back,” she said.

Dr Rashid was speaking at a presser held at the Rawalpindi Institute of Urology (RIU). She was accompanied by Rawalpindi Medical University (RMU) Vice Chancellor (VC) Prof Dr Mohammad Umar and other senior doctors.

Responding to questions, the minister said by the time Mr Sharif was admitted to a government hospital his platelet count had gone very low. A medical board was constituted for his treatment in which his personal physician Dr Adnan was also included.

“Nawaz Sharif was asked if he wanted any outside doctor but he said he was satisfied with local doctors. He was already a cardiac patient. He was allowed to go abroad on humanitarian basis and the extension in his bail was linked with his reports. The government has made repeated requests to Dr Adnan to share his reports. The three-time prime minister should honour his commitment and return to the country as his health is fine now,” she said.

The minister said a new coronavirus variant had been detected in four patients in Sindh while medical experts were awaiting for reports of four other suspected patients in Lahore.

The new coronavirus variant that was discovered in the UK a few weeks ago.She said a new dental college for Rawalpindi Division was on the cards and work on the Mother and Child Hospital in Attock was being completed on a priority basis. She said PC-1 of the District Headquarter Hospital Chakwal was ready.

The minister said the pandemic situation in Rawalpindi was being monitored and all staff serving in the first wave had been given honorarium.

“So far we have conducted around 100,000 tests in Rawalpindi. A new lab has been established at Benazir Bhutto Hospital at a cost of Rs55 million. Despite the pandemic, upgradation or development work was not stopped in any hospital. As many as 30 dialysis machines are ready at the RIU and shall be made functional very soon.”

She said no compromise shall be made on behaviour of doctors towards patients and their treatment. She appreciated Professor Dr Umar and his team for providing good quality treatment to Covid-19 patients.

The government has earmarked Rs40 billion for procurement of medicines alone. An inquiry shall be conducted in case medicines available in hospitals are bought from outside by patients, she said.

Dr Rashid said the Medical Teaching Institutions Act was being implemented to bring about an improvement in public sector hospitals.

“Privatisation is a misnomer for MTI and the government cannot even imagine privatising public sector hospitals. In the first phase, MTI is being implemented in one teaching institution in Sialkot and Lahore. Punjab Assembly has passed the MTI Act,” she said.

Beds for thalassemia patients have been reserved in hospitals in Rawalpindi.

“So far, we have added a human resource of over 32,000 to the health system on merit, mostly through the Public Service Commission. We have distributed Sehat Sahulat cards among 5.2 million families in Punjab and shall cover 22 million families in the province by year’s end,” she said.

Published in Dawn, Jannuary 5th, 2021