May 5, 2002	Sunday	Safar 21, 1423

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FAISALABAD, May 4: The Punjab government has reportedly decided to hand over selected health facilities and educational institutions to leading industrialists and businessmen.

Sources told this correspondent on Saturday that on the direction of Punjab Governor Khalid Maqbool (retired), a plan was being prepared in this regard.

According to the plan, businessmen and industrialists would be asked to arrange resources for some hospitals, dispensaries, basic health units, schools and colleges. The government would, however, supervise the affairs.

Source further revealed that the government was also planning to include the community in the public welfare schemes and projects to minimize its expenditure.

District Governments had also been directed accordingly and formal announcement in this regard would be made soon.

Sources said that the provincial government had already completed a report about participation of community in public welfare schemes pointing out that philanthropists were spending millions of rupees for running free medical treatment centres, hospitals, schools and dispensaries and colleges in the province.

Initially, those health and educational institutions would be handed over to philanthropists which were not being run properly by the government because of certain reasons, specially lack of funds and less strength of staff.

During a meeting with leading industrialists, exporters, importers and philanthropists a couple of weeks ago, the governor had floated the idea to hand over any of the hospitals or educational institutions to them if a comprehensive proposal was put forward for converting the same into a modern and model unit.

The governor had also asked the investors and philanthropists to keep in view the requirements and needs of people of the area and approach which had been neglected for decades.