TAXILA: The Attock district would get a state of the art medical social unit for which an amount of Rs8.3 million has been allocated this fiscal year.

Talking to newsmen here on Thursday, Punjab Minister for Baitul Maal and Social Welfare Yawar Abbas Bukhari said Punjab

Chief Minister Usman Buzdar had accorded approved the project in Attock and funds would be released soon.

He said Attock would be the only district of the province which would have its own building for the unit. 

Mr Boukhari said Attock would be a role model for other districts and the general public, especially patients coming from far flung towns of the district like Jand and Pindigheb would be facilitated as all the Medical Social Services would be provided to the destitute and poor patients.

He said the Punjab government would soon introduce “Punjab Empowerment of the Persons with Different Abilities Bill, 2021” for the protection of and provision of basic rights to differently-abled persons.

He added the purpose of the draft bill was to ensure the rights of the special persons, including those visually impaired.

He said that under the proposed law, they would be provided special seats in public transport vehicles,

and access to all forms of mass communication, including information technology (IT).

Speaking on this occasion, Director General Social Welfare and Baitul Mal Punjab Mohammad Shahid Niaz said that there were around 200 Medical Social Services centers providing medical assistance to the destitute and poor patients in the province with the support of Punjab Zakat Department and Pakistan Baitul Maal Islamabad.

Responding to a question, he said through the construction of the unit, all the facilities and services as well as coordination with hospital administration and voluntary social welfare agencies for initiating social welfare services would be available under one roof.

Published in Dawn, October 22nd, 2021