BAHAWALPUR: The Punjab government will establish an 85-bed children’s hospital in Bahawalpur, costing about Rs20 billion, announced Punjab Health Minister Khwaja Salman Rafique here on Tuesday.

He said this while inspecting the site for the proposed burns unit of the Bahawal Victoria Hospital (BVH) on Jhangiwali Road here.

The minister said the proposed children’s hospital will be established near the BVH burns unit here.

Khawaja Salman Rafique added that Punjab government has improved the cardiac, bone-marrow, liver and kidney transplant programmes, while hundreds of thousands of kidney patients are benefiting from its dialysis programme.

Earlier, the minister said, the 50-bed BVH burns unit would be built on an area of 44 kanals and cost Rs4.3 billion, hoping it will be completed within a 15-16 months.

He said the burns unit will help meet the long-standing demand of the local parliamentarians and patients from adjacent districts would also benefit from the facility.

Speaking on the occasion, Specialised Healthcare and Medical Education Secretary Azmat Mahood said that two big health projects were being implemented in Bahawalpur to increase the bed capacity of public hospitals.

He said Bahawalpur Thalassemia Centre, having 60 beds, would be completed next year.

At the Government Sir Sadiq Abbasi Hospital, the minister inaugurated a ten-bed peads orthopedic ward. He said 50 air-conditioners would be installed at hospital.

The minister also opened the dead body transfer service outside the BVH emergency ward. Initially, eight air-conditioned ambulances have been provided for this service, while this programme would be expanded to tehsil level in Punjab within a period of 90 days, he added.

According to an official hand-out, at a meeting held at the Quiad-i-Azam Medical College (QAMC), the heads of different medical departments apprised the minister of the challenges and lack of facilities, including medicines, machinery etc at the local health facilities.

The minister said the Punjab government was taking measures on priority basis for the improvement of the health sector.

The meeting was also attended by Secretary Azmat Mehmood , QAMC Principal Prof Dr Sufia Farrukh, BVH MS Dr Abdul Rehman Chandio, heads of the departments and other government hospitals.

COTTON SOWING TARGET: Around 80 per cent of the total cotton cultivation target (1.7 million acres) has so far been achieved in three districts of Bahawalpur division.

This was stated by Commissioner Irfan Ali Kathia at a meeting chaired by Punjab agriculture secretary Iftikhar Ali Sahoo here on Tuesday.

The meeting was also attended by the officials of agriculture extension wing and Bahawalpur Deputy Commissioner Syed Hassan Raza. The DCs of Rahim Yar Khan and Bahawalnagar participated through video-link.

According to a hand-out, Mr Sahoo said that over 50pc share of Punjab’s overall cotton cultivation target would be contributed by Bahawalpur division.

He directed the officials to ensure hundred percent cotton cultivation by May 31 in the province and the availability of fertilizers and standardised pesticides in the market.

Published in Dawn, May 20th, 2026