Shehbaz says deserving patients to get free treatment at PKLI

LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday said the Pakistan Kidney & Liver Transplant Institute (PKLI) in Lahore will provide free treatment to deserving patients from across the country and the Punjab government will bear the expenses of transplants, medicines and tests.

Making a surprise visit to PKLI immediately after his return from Saudi Arabia, the CM went to different sections and inspected various facilities being provided to the patients and also inquired after their health.

The patients coming from Lahore, Mandi Bahauddin, Kasur and other districts said that they have been treated well. The CM also spoke with doctors, nurses and the paramedical staff and appreciated the passion of all healthcare personnel who have left lucrative jobs abroad to join PKLI.

The CM also presided over a meeting held in the hospital; to review the timeline of leftover assignments in the first phase. He issued necessary directions for the early completion of phase two. He said that the Punjab government, PKLI and the Infrastructure Development Authority Punjab (IDAP) have jointly performed this job and the same hard work and commitment will be seen in the second phase.

“I have come straight to the hospital after my return from Saudi Arabia so that I could personally monitor the quality of medical facilities here and I am quite satisfied with the staff’s work”, he said.

He also directed that electricity failure should not occur at all and alternate arrangements should be managed and maintained by the steering committee.

While talking to the media, the CM said, “After my visit to Saudi Arabia, I have come directly to the hospital and have held a meeting to review the ongoing assignments of the hospital. Best medical facilities are being provided to the patients and I am happy to see all the staff fully engaged in the service of ailing humanity. The leftover assignments of the first phase will be operationalised soon, while the second phase will be completed by March 23rd. We are trying to start kidney transplants from this month while liver transplants will start from March.”

Shehbaz said that the Punjab government has spent more than Rs 1.5 billion on the treatment of deserving patients suffering from kidney and liver diseases during the last nine years. These patients were sent to China, India and other countries but now such patients will be treated in the PKLI free of cost.

The CM said that PKLI is a wonderful institution having no resemblance in the past. This is a revolution needed by the people.

He further said that the Punjab government has introduced public-private partnership to run the administration of the hospitals and added that young doctors are like his kith and kin and maintained that the majority of them serve patients wholeheartedly but only a handful of them indulged in strikes and agitations.