RAWALPINDI: Military Lands and Cantonments (MLC) has begun upgrading health and education facilities in 44 cantonments in the country.

At a press briefing, MLC Rawalpindi Director Dr Saima Shah said 108 new educational institutions will be established in the country’s cantonment areas, and health services will be upgraded by establishing medical colleges.

“The upgradation of Rawalpindi Cantonment General Hospital is also included in the improvement plan,” she said.

She added that Maj Gen Syed Najamul Hassan, the director general of MLC Rawalpindi, had directed for the tasks to be completed according to the master plan.

Accompanied by Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB) Cantonment Executive Officer Sibtain Raza, Dr Shah said in 1975 there were only 13 colleges, 46 high schools and 23 primary schools, and the number had declined to zero cantonment board colleges, seven high schools, 12 middle schools and 14 primary schools.

New colleges, schools to be completed, cantonment general hospitals in Rawalpindi, Peshawar and Lahore to be upgraded in first phase

She said the MLC director general had floated a three year phase-wise plan, from 2016 to 2019, under which 127 new colleges, 17 girls high schools, three boys high schools and three primary schools would be completed in the first phase.

In the current fiscal year, 14 new colleges and 22 boys or girls high schools will be constructed.

Education standards are to be targeted to those of Army Public Schools.

While discussing the health sector, Dr Shah said eight cantonment general hospitals, five dispensaries and cantonment general hospitals and 21 dispensaries will be established in various cantonments were no health facilities are available.

According to the master plan for improvement in health services, she said, the first phase includes cantonments in Rawalpindi, Peshawar and Lahore, where cantonment general hospitals are being upgraded with state-of-the-art facilities and infrastructure.

“The plan envisaged strategy to financially strengthen and to make the institutions self sustainable by establishing medical colleges to make cantonment hospitals teaching hospitals. This is to lessen the financial burden over the meagre resources of the cantonments,” she said.

The Rawalpindi Cantonment General Hospital is being upgraded with a Rs570 million grant from the federal government in 2017-18.

“Parallel to this, Rs115 was also allocated during the year 2017-18, which a five-year allocation of grants of similar extent i.e. Rs115m per year shall continuously be realised from the federal government until 2022-23,” she said.

In response to a question, Dr Shah said the procurement of electro-medical equipment for the hospital was being carried out in a transparent manner under Public Procurement Regulatory Authority Rules.

Dr Shah admitted that in the past there had been slight delays in the promotions of existing medical and paramedical staff, which has been viewed seriously and is being finalised this month by the promotions committee.

“Instigation to the employees and unwarranted agitation, propaganda and the other rumours regarding any such anti-employees policy is baseless. A comprehensive healthcare policy shall be aiming hiring of services of good doctors to provide basic health services in the hospitals and dispensaries of the cantonments,” she said.

Discussing the water shortage in cantonment areas, Dr Shah said the shortage of groundwater in Rawalpindi and Islamabad, together with the rapidly declining water level in Khanpur Dam, the major water source for the cantonment areas, had led to a water shortage. She asked cantonment residents to cooperate and conserve water.

“According to a fresh survey and the depletion of the underground water level, the authorities seem to be compelled to restrict the installation of tubewells in the twin cities,” she said.

Published in Dawn, July 8th, 2018