LAHORE, Oct 15: All the 26 nursing schools in Punjab have been upgraded at a cost of Rs17.5 million, and buses will be provided in six schools by Eidul Fitr.

This was stated by director-general (nursing) Shahnaz Victor while talking to students during a visit to the General Hospital Nursing School here on Sunday.

She said computers and fax machines had been provided in all the 26 schools and overhead projects in nine. Buses were being provided to nursing schools in the LGH, Lady Wellingdon and Lady Aitchison in Lahore, Aziz Bhatti Shaheed Hospital in Gujrat and the District Headquarters Hospitals in Jhang and Sargodha.

She said the nurses had not only been given better grades by the present government but also provided opportunities for improving their qualifications. It was the duty of the nurses to make the best use of facilities for improving their professional capabilities for providing better healthcare to patients.

LGH Nursing School Principal Ishrat Ishaq told the DG that there was a significant increase in the number of students desirous of receiving nursing education, but the number of seats in schools was limited. As many as 1,000 applications had been received for 66 seats in her school.

The DG directed the principal to ensure that admissions to the school were made on merit.