MULTAN: The chief minister on Wednesday suspended from service the entire relevant staff of the buildings department over their alleged negligence in the construction of Multan Institute of Kidney Diseases (MIKD).

The suspended officials include Superintendent Engineer Wasim Akhlaq, EXEN Mian Iftikhar Ahmad and SDO Rizwan Ahmad.

During his visit to the institute, the chief minister expressed his displeasure over the unavailability of medicines, mismanagement and lack of cleanliness besides inquiring the patients about [health] facilities being provided to them.

New kidney institute’s wall gathers dampness

The chief minister visited each under-treatment patient and expressed his displeasure over not providing medicines free of cost to some patients.

He directed that the hospital administration should return the amount to the patients who purchased medicines.

The chief minister became furious during inspection of a recently constructed wall of the hospital as it gathered dampness, and he directed the suspension of the employees of buildings department.Taking notice of long queues [of patients], he said it was not appropriate that patient wait for long.

Later taking to the media, the CM said [unfortunately] the defects which were identified during his last visit, still exist.

“A team of anti-corruption establishment and [chief minister’s] inspection team has been directed to reach Multan and submit a report in this regard. The SE, EXEN and SDO have been suspended to keep the inquiry transparent,” he said.

He said water was not available in the room where he went to wash his hands.Sharif ordered an inquiry into absence of medicines for patients and unavailability of water in bathrooms.

He said steps to improve the condition of hospitals had been initiated and the task would be completed at any cost while no negligence would be acceptable.

“The health department, administration and other relevant departments have failed to streamline the system. I will come again after a few days and transplantation of kidneys will also start soon in the institute,” he added.

MUZAFFARGARH: The chief minister during a surprise visit to Recep Tayyip Erdogan Hospital inspected the quality of construction work on the expansion project of the hospital.

Earlier, the chief minister had laid foundation of the 120-bed hospital which will be upgraded to 370 beds.

During a briefing by the project manager of the construction company, Shahbaz Sharif said work must be completed in 2018. The CM inspected the [new] building and later went to Emine Erdogan School, Baseera, which had been converted into Danish School.

The chief minister and the school children exchanged autographs.

Talking to [girl] students, he said: “Honesty is the best policy. The PML-N government promoted Pak-Turk friendship. I want to see every government school as Emine girls school.”

Mr Sharif flew to Lahore by a helicopter and, according to an official, he had an aerial view of the new atomic energy plant in Sultan Colony.

Only one PML-N MPA Mian Alamdar Qureshi was invited to the hospital and school while others waited at the Circuit House for a ‘call of the CM’.

A doctor of the hospital told Dawn that work would be completed in three phases at a cost of Rs9.1 billion. In phase-I, the hospital would be upgraded to 370 beds. In the next phases, hostels for boys and girls and residences for doctors would be built.

Published in Dawn, August 17th, 2017