KASUR: Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif inaugurated on Friday the state-of-art Hepatitis Prevention and Treatment Centre at the Kasur District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital.

The centre is the second one in Punjab after Lahore while by Dec 25, such centres would be established in 25 districts of the province.

Mr Sharif addressed the ceremony for 12 minutes. He said he had punished the corrupt mafia in such a manner that their generations would not forget the lesson.

He said the Punjab government was utilising each and every penny of the public exchequer for the welfare of masses and no one could alleged kickbacks in any project. Workers of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), lawyers and doctors were among the audience.

The chief minister said that a major part of the population of Pakistan was suffering from hepatitis. Realising the dire situation, he said, the Punjab government had tackled the diseases in an organised manner through establishing such centres.

He also said that the patients would get free medicines and there would be minimum theft of medicines and other resources. He also warned (the doctors) that under the system there would be no room for strikes and blackmailing.

He said that those holding strikes would be answerable to the government and the public here and to God in the hereafter. He said that the doctors ought to realise that their real pride was in serving the humanity.

The chief minister kept reminding the doctors about professionalism, avoiding comments on the current political issues. He said the system introduced in the centre was free of political intervention and recommendation, and was based on merit.

He said, “This is the real change; this is the new Pakistan, and, those who talk of new Pakistan, should see this system.”

He said the hepatitis centers would demonstrate a maximum transparency and professionalism and a culture of honesty and dedication.

Punjab Assembly Speaker Rana Muhammad Iqbal, Pakistan Kidney and Liver Institute Chairman Dr Muhammad Saeed and local parliamentarians were present.

BUS CRASH: A factory bus ran over and killed two people and injured four others on Friday who were standing by the roadside at Hindal Chowk on Kot Radha Kishan Road.

The factory bus was traveling from Changa Manga to Bhotian Chowk, Lahore. Near Hindal Chowk, the driver lost control on the wheel and struck the people. Six people suffered injuries and were rushed to the Kot Radha Kishan Tehsil Headquarters Hospital where Muzaffar and Waheed succumbed to their injuries.

The injured include Arif, Shahzad, Khalid and Nadeem. The driver escaped the scene. Police impounded the bus and were looking into the matter. Also, a pregnant woman was seriously injured when a van hit the ambulance on Friday on Deepalpur Road near village Nizampura.

The wife of Ahmed Raza was being transported in the ambulance to the Kasur District Headquarters Hospital for delivery. Near Nizampura village, a van hit the ambulance from rear side.

The ambulance overturned, leaving the woman and the driver injured.

They were rushed to the Kasur District Headquarters Hospital from where the woman was referred to the Lahore General Hospital in a critical condition.

Published in Dawn, August 19th, 2017