LAHORE – Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has taken concrete measures for promotion of medical education, welfare of doctors and provision of best medical facilities to the people, Punjab Assembly (PA) Speaker Rana Iqbal said on Saturday. He was addressing the 4th Convocation of the Post Graduate Medical Institute (PGMI).
The PA speaker said that the doors of medical education were opened for poor but talented students by abolishing seats of self finance. He said that the Punjab government is providing free treatment facilities and now no one would be deprived of treatment merely for scarcity of money. Iqbal said there is no dearth of talent in Pakistani doctors and the PGMI is spreading medical education inside the country and abroad.
He said that the revolutionary steps taken by Principal Dr Tariq Salahuddin for development of the institution, better treatment of patients and updating knowledge of young doctors during the last one year are commendable. Iqbal said that the provision of best health facilities to the people was the top priority of the CM for which billions of rupees have been allocated.
The PA speaker said that only healthy societies could prosper and face challenges of the present era. He urged doctors to play their active role in providing equal health facilities to the people living in urban as well as rural areas. Principal Dr Tariq Salahuddin said that the PGMI was established in a rented building in 1974 and now it has become a leading educational institution, which is providing highly trained and qualified health experts to the other educational institutions not only in Pakistan but abroad as well.
He said that the Lahore General Hospital is also providing best health facilities to the patients and state-of-the-art emergency centre and operation theaters complex have been established in the hospital. Dr Salahuddin hoped that building of the Punjab Institute of Neurosciences would also be functional.
He said that PhD classes would also start at the PGMI while MBBS classes would also be started from next year. Salahuddin appealed to doctors to prefer serving humanity in their homeland rather going abroad. Afterwards, 101 graduating doctors were awarded medals and certificates.