August 04, 2007	Saturday	Rajab 19, 1428

LAHORE, Aug 3: Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi inaugurated the new emergency block and laid a foundation stone of the postgraduate medical institute at the Lahore General Hospital here on Friday.

Speaking on the occasion, the chief minister announced setting up of a new medical college with one hundred seats in Lahore, which he said would be affiliated with the LGH.

The chief minister said the LHG was catering to medical needs of a large portion of population of the city. The bed capacity of the emergency ward had been increased to 110 at a cost of Rs200 million. He said 20 computerized dialysis machines had also been provided to the LGH under the Healthy Punjab Programme.

Pervaiz Elahi said that when he visited LGH some five years ago he was shocked to see deplorable condition of the emergency and CT Scan. He said the postgraduate medical institute would be established at the LGH at a cost of one billion rupees. The post-graduation and specialization facility would be available to medical students. The first phase of the building had been completed.

He said round-the-clock labour room service had been started in 293 rural health centers of the province besides the training system for nurses had also been improved. He said the government was also expanding the scope of health cover to remote areas of the province. He said the Rescue 1122 project proved very successful and the service was being extended to other cities of the province as well.

HEALTH MINISTER: Punjab Health Minister Chaudhry Iqbal said a special grant of more than Rs2 billion had been provided to the teaching hospitals for strengthening emergency medical services.

He said the standard and quality of emergency wards of the hospitals were being brought at par with the hospitals of developed countries. He said that medicines and other health facilities were being provided free of cost in the emergency wards. The minister said all the principals and medical superintendents had been asked to complete the required construction and renovation work within stipulated period. He said that an additional 50 per cent basic pay was being provided to the staff posted in emergency wards.

Provincial health secretary Raees Abbas Zaidi, University of Health Sciences vice-chancellor Prof Dr Mubashar Husain, Postgraduate Medical Institute principal Prof Sajjad Husain were also present.