KARACHI, July 22: The health department has been advised by the chief secretary to provide free health facilities to workers of the freedom movement awarded gold medals for their services.

According to a press release issued by the provincial information department, a delegation of the gold medalists met the high officials, including the governor, and apprised them of their problems.

Waqar Ahmed Zuberi, the coordinator of the Gold Medalist Workers of the Pakistan Movement, furnished a list of 10 members of his group to the senior officials. Thereafter, Mumtazur Rehman Khan, as advised by Chief Secretary M. Aslam Sanjrani, floated a summary involving a package of relief to the veterans of the freedom movement for approval.

The names included in the list of veterans were: Begum Akhtar Jehan, Prof Zafar Umar Zuberi, Dr Nabi Bakhsh Baloch, Begum Tazeen Faridi, Mian Ghulam Rasool, Waqar Ahmed Zuberi, S.M. Akbar Kazmi and Fasihuddin Zuberi.

Under instructions of the chief secretary, a letter has been forwarded to the health secretary, underlining the importance of ensuring indoor and outdoor treatment of the veterans and provision of medicines to them, said the press release.

The freedom fighters' spouses are also entitled to the incentive, as recommended by the medical superintendents of the government hospitals and other health centres, added the press release.