LAHORE, March 6: The Punjab labour minister has ordered one medical checkup of every industrial worker every year besides holding informative seminars to create awareness among them about Hepatitis.

Akhtar Husain Rizvi issued a directive to this effect during a visit to the Social Security Hospital on Multan Road here on Thursday.

He also ordered purchase of two dialysis machines for the hospital and presentation of a detailed report in respect of availability of medicines in the hospital. He said irregularities in medicines’ purchase would not be tolerated.

The minister also ordered improvement in hospital waste disposal arrangements and filling of all vacancies by recruitment of the regular staff. He said he would continue visiting the hospital for assessing its performance.

Earlier briefing the minister, chief executive Brig Riaz Qureshi (retired) said the 610-hospital was providing free health cover to over half a million industrial workers and their 3.5 million dependents.

He said over 250 industrial workers were being provided the dialysis facility every month. The number of workers requiring dialysis was on the increase like those suffering from Hepatitis, he said.