MULTAN, June 10: The Punjab government has approved a resolution by the city district council of Multan to rename the Multan Institute of Cardiology as the Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi Institute of Cardiology.

The institute has been renamed ‘in recognition of the provincial chief minister’s services for the development of south Punjab’.

A press release issued by Colonel Masood Cheema (retired), Multan Institute of Cardiology project director, stated this on Sunday.

Mr Cheema said he had received the instructions

about the renaming of the

institute from the provincial health department.

The move has attracted criticism from many of the local politicians.

Pakistan People’s Party MPA Dr Javed Ahmed Siddiqi said the chief minister was responsible for delaying the project as, despite the passage of four years, the government had not released funds to complete the project.

The 210-bed institute promises heart transplant, angiography and other diagnostic services when it becomes operational.

In 2002, Governor Khalid Maqbool had announced the launch of the cardiac institute in Multan. On February 26, 2005, Mr Pervaiz Elahi announced at a public meeting that the institute would be made functional by May the same year.

For the Rs970 million worth of project, the Punjab government had allocated only Rs150 million in the 2003-2004 budget, Rs150 million in the 2005-2006 budget followed by Rs300 million later.

It was announced the project would be completed by June 30, 2006. However, in the 2006-2007 budget, only Rs100 million were allocated for the project.

The chief minister inaugurated the outpatient department of the institute on December 5, 2005.

Mr Siddiqi said instead of changing the name of the health facility in Multan, the chief minister should make history by renaming Gujrat as Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi City, Lahore Ring Road as Monis Elahi Road and Lahore Sialkot Motorway as Chaudhry Shujat Husain Motorway.

Tariq Naeemullah, former Pakistan Muslim League general secretary, said Multan was a historical city where the cardiology institute should remain as it was named the Multan Institute of Cardiology.

PML-Nawaz’s MPA Babu Nafees Ahmed Ansari condemned the renaming and said the institute was not being constructed from the money of Mr Elahi.

PML-Q’s MPA Shamim Akhtar supported the move, saying Mr Elahi should be paid tribute for his services for the hospital.