SIALKOT: Taking another step for locals, exporters have announced adopting as many as 20 Basic Health Units (BHUs) in Sialkot for providing improved medical facilities to them.

This was stated by Acting President of Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) Waqas Akram Awan during a joint press conference with Punjab Minister for Health Dr. Yasmeen Rashid held at SCCI on Tuesday.

SCCI PRO Tajammal Hussain, Sialkot exporters and PTI Central Punjab President Umer Dar were also present on this occasion.

Awan said the Sialkot exporters had been earning foreign exchange to the tune of $2.5bn and they considered it their responsibility and national obligation to serve the ailing locals.

He said the exporters would soon adopt 20 BHUs in Sialkot district under the supervision of SCCI for providing better healthcare at the local level.

Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmeen Rashid welcomed the initiative taken by the exporters.

She said the health department and SCCI would soon ink a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for adoption of 20 BHUs, saying that the exporters would bear expenditures of these units. She also lauded the social welfare projects already being run successfully by the exporters under the supervision of SCCI.

Dr Yasmeen said the government was making all-out efforts to strengthen the system of BHUs, RHCs, THQs and DHQ hospitals across Punjab besides removing hurdles in the way of easy access of poor patients to health facilities. She said the government was making efforts to convert all BHUs and RHCs into proper emergency centres which would work 24/7 across Punjab.

“The government is also ensuring round-the-clock availability of doctors there.”

She said Prime Minister Imran Khan’s health initiative was successfully moving ahead in eight districts of Punjab, as the government would spend Rs1.4bn in the first phase. She said the [health] initiative would soon be extended to all 36 districts of Punjab and the government would spend Rs5bn in the second phase.

She said the distribution of Insaf Health Cards would begin on Feb 22 as the prime minister would launch the scheme during an inaugural ceremony to be held in Rajanpur. She said “burial charges” of Rs10,000 each had also been added to these cards for the poor, enabling them to spend the amount on the death of their loved ones.

Published in Dawn, February 20th, 2019