LAHORE April 12: Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi has said Rs6 billion is being spent for the provision of healthcare facilities to the citizens under the Health Sector Reforms Programme.

The chief minister was talking to a delegation, which was led by the wife of British Prime Minister and Breast Cancer Society patron-in-chief Cherie Blair, at his secretariat here on Tuesday.

He said availability of all necessary medical facilities and presence of doctors and paramedical staff in Basic Health Units had been ensured. Measures were being adopted for the treatment of cancer and a plan had been evolved for the construction of an international standard cancer hospital in Lahore.

The chief minister said cancer departments of Mayo Hospital, Nishtar Hospital and Allied Hospital had been upgraded to provide better treatment facilities to patients. Special measures had been taken for the prevention and treatment of breast cancer.

He said screening machines had been installed in 12 hospitals of Punjab for diagnosing breast cancer while 11 centres for cancer treatment were operating in the province.

Solid measures had been adopted for the treatment of heart patients and a cardiology centre constructed at a cost of Rs1 billion in Multan. Similarly, cardiac centres were also being set up in Faisalabad and Wazirabad.

He said emergency care service of all hospitals in the province had also been modernised. King Edward Medical University and the University of Health Sciences were working in the medical education sector.

About other development projects in the province, he said due to the Education Sector Reforms Programme, enrolment rate of students in schools had substantially improved and the programme had become a role model and adopted by a Chinese province.

He said patrolling posts projects had proved successful and the crime rate reduced considerably in the province.

He thanked the British government for providing timely relief to earthquake victims last year. The British government played a commendable role in the relief of calamity-stricken people. He also thanked the British institution of international development, DFID, for its efforts which resulted in accelerating the pace of social development in the province.

Ms Blair said she was deeply impressed with the Health Sector Reforms Programme. There was a dire need to create awareness among women regarding breast cancer so that they could be saved from this fatal disease.

Pakistani High Commissioner in Britain Dr Maliha Lodhi, Punjab Health Minister Dr Tahir Ali Javed, chief secretary Salman Siddique and other senior officials were present on the occasion.

Later, the chief minister hosted a luncheon in honour of the delegation which was attended by provincial ministers, industrialists and a large number of prominent personalities representing various walks of life.