LAHORE: PML-N President and Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has termed PTI’s first 100-day in power plan a bid to deceive the masses.

“Those who are talking about 100 days are fooling the masses…The claimants of 100 days have ruined the KP in [the last] five years,” he said.

Recalling the claims the PTI leadership had made after assuming power in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in 2013, he said those who talked of producing electricity for KP and rest of the country have, in fact, generated ‘minus six megawatts’ electricity during their five-year tenure and now the voters would decide about their fate.

He was talking to reporters after opening the Punjab Institute of Neurosciences (PIN) at Lahore General Hospital here on Monday.

Opens Punjab Institute of Neurosciences at LGH

Replying to a question, the chief minister said the recent UNDP report is self-explanatory as Punjab is leading the other provinces with regard to development. “However, the journey is long and we have to reach the destination by working day and night,” he said.

He said: “I cannot treat patients with mental ailments but can definitely teach how superb health institutions are developed; how resources are utilised in a right way and how hard work is done.”

Answering a query about loadshedding and energy projects, he said duration of loadshedding had reached 20 hours a day in 2013 and electricity was not available even during Sehr and Iftar. But the situation improved and duration of loadshedding was reducing rapidly ever since with efforts of the PML-N government.

He said a network of best hospitals has been spread in the province and a latest institution has been set up in the provincial metropolis for the treatment of kidney and liver diseases. Similarly, six hospitals of 100-bed capacity each have been constructed in Kahana Nau, Bedian, Manawan, Raiwind, Sabzazar and other areas during one and a half years.

The CM said some sections of PIN had been working for the last few months but the facility became fully operational today.

“At least eight operating theatres have been set up at PIN which can be compared with any hospital of the developed world with regard to facilities and quality. Best doctors and other staff are available and a pathology lab has also been established,” he added.

The pathology labs set up in DHQ hospitals by the Punjab government are no less than international standards “but I am tremendously happy to see the state-of-the-art pathology lab in this institution,” he said.

Information technology has been optimally utilised to develop the best system. This institution is an important achievement in the field of healthcare by the Punjab government, he added.

He invited other provinces to visit and find out how state-of-the-art institutions are developed. These people made tall claims with regard to health sector but did nothing practically, he maintained.

The CM was told that the 10-storey building of PIN has been constructed at a cost of Rs3 billion. It’s a 500-bed facility with 100-bed emergency, while two neuro-theatres will work round the clock to cope with emergencies. The latest 3 Tesla MRI and 128-slice CT scan machines have also been installed.

Published in Dawn, May 22nd, 2018