SAHIWAL: Provincial Health Minister Dr Akram Javed says the Punjab government has spent Rs80 billion on provision of basic facilities and infrastructures of 113 public sector hospitals across the province.

He urges the parents of female graduates to allow their daughters to work in the medical profession after completion of their MBBS as the state spends Rs150m on a single medical graduate and it is a waste of resources if they don’t work in the field.

The minister was addressing the fourth convocation of the Sahiwal Medical College (SMC) on Friday.

He said the Punjab government was doing its maximum to provide each hospital with the basic health facilities and the Sahiwal Institute of Cardiology had also been provided two angiography and MRI machines.

He announced that funds would be released for the construction of an auditorium at the SMC. He added that the development of the Nishtar Hospital II, Multan, and the Fatima Jinnah Dental Institute, Lahore, were the other two mega projects in the pipeline.

SMC Principal Prof Dr Imran Hasan told Dawn around 100 graduates, including 65 girls, were awarded degrees.

Dr Zameesha Tanvir, Dr Usma Amin and Dr Zameen Nadeem were awarded medals for securing first, second and third positions, respectively.

Fatima Jinnah Medical University VC Dr Khalid Masood and University of Health Sciences Pro VC Dr Nadia Naseem also spoke.

SENTENCED: Chichawatni Additional District and Sessions Judge Muhammad Abu Bakar Saddiq handed down death sentence and imposed fine of Rs300,000 to a man who had raped his daughter at Chak 110/12-L, district Sahiwal.

The Saddar police had registered a case against the convict on the complaint of the victim’s brother in 2021.

Published in Dawn, January 27th, 2024