MUZAFFARGARH, Dec 25: Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif opened a mobile hospital in Daira Din Pannah here on Saturday.

Speaking on the occasion, Sharif highlighted scams emerging one after the other at the Centre, and said his heart was bleeding as Haj pilgrims too were looted.

He said model villages would be built in southern part of Punjab for the flood-hit people. He said he would not take rest until every flood-hit person was rehabilitated.

Unlike the CM's statement, flood-hit people were given houses in a model village set up in Miran Mullan area through a lucky draw and there is a remote chance of every flood-hit person getting accommodated.

The chief minister inaugurated the modern mobile hospital with facilities of X-Ray, ECG and clinical laboratory.

The mobile unit set up on a trailer will visit each union council of Kot Addu for a day. Its cost is stated to be around Rs50 million. The project is thought to be the brainchild of health secretary Fawad Hasan Fawad.

The chief minister also thanked the governments and the people of Turkey, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. He particularly held and raised the arm of Istanbul deputy mayor Muhammad Ismain Haqi and later embraced him for his rendering meritorious services in the wake of flood calamity in this district.

He said he would release Rs200 million for the construction of Kot Addu bypass on the recommendation of MPA Hinjra.

The MPA also demanded upgradation of Daira Din Pannah rural health cetnre (RHC) and provision of Watan cards to more number of flood-hit people.

It may be recalled here that in his earlier visits to this district during wheat procurement campaign and flood relief operations, the chief minister had removed two DCOs and many other officials for their alleged inefficiency and negligence but during Saturday's what analysts called “political” visit, he admired the services of DCO Tahir Khurshed instead.

When the chief minister was praising the DCO, all officials of the district administration could not help themselves smiling 'sarcastically'. The district management had indeed made a lot of efforts to make this gathering a success.

According to PPP MPA Malik Bilal Khar, all government schoolteachers and patwaris were told to attend the meeting and every patwari was required to bring 20 people along with him — an allegation denied by both the departments.

“No ceremony was held in connection with birth anniversary of the Quaid-i-Azam at any school in Kot Addu because of the chief minister's visit,” a teacher told Dawn.

Medical practitioners have also criticised the launch of a mobile hospital, saying it was a sheer wastage of money.

“Instead of spending Rs50 million on one such hospital, the chief minister should have ensured upgradation of a few BHUs and RHCs because these centres will remain forever,” said an official of the health department who wished not to be named. The doctor said public hospitals already lacked staff and infrastructure and instead of providing them any facility, the government was introducing new ideas. He said the mobile hospital would function just as a dispensary because it would visit any union council for a day only while patients needing hospitalisation would not be able to benefit from it.

Over 100 people from Taunsa area also held a demonstration ahead of the chief minister's arrival to protest what they alleged registration of cases against locals for making breaches in dykes during floods.