VEHARI: Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Shehbaz Sharif on Friday alleged that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan was a “pathological liar”.
“Khan Sahab is a pathological liar,” commented the chief minister during a brief talk with the media following the inauguration of various health projects at the Vehari District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital.
“Nations are not built by accusing each other but by working together,” said Shehbaz hitting back at the opposition for criticising the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) led government and added, “In Sindh corruption is rampant from top to bottom.”
“In the past, unqualified staff worked in hospitals across Punjab but today, professionals are hired in all hospitals across the province. PML-N brought a health revolution in Punjab,” the chief minister reminded the media while questioning if other parties had taken any developmental steps for the country within the past five years.
“Sindh, Balochistan or Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) cannot even be compared to Punjab,” he said. “Lying is Imran Khan’s habit and that is all he did in the last half-decade besides staging sit-ins.”
“Instead of presenting an 11-point agenda, Imran should reveal his performance in KP,” Shehbaz said further.
The chief minister also took a jab at Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari and commented, “If Zardari brings back the nation’s money that he has taken abroad and invests it in Sindh’s development then the people might forgive him.”
Earlier, he inaugurated different health projects including a pathology lab, CT scan machine, hepatitis filter clinic and incinerator at the hospital Vehari. “These health schemes have been completed with a total cost of 1.2 billion rupees,” he said and added that four mega projects had been completed with a cost of Rs240 million at DHQ Hospital Vehari, while another amount of Rs950 million had been spent on the expansion and renovation of the hospital.
Shehbaz said that the management of the pathology lab had been handed over to North Shore Medical Labs of the United States (US). “The patients will pay a nominal token fee while the test fee will be paid by the Punjab government. 1,200 medical tests of 43 types will be conducted in this hospital,” he added.
He informed that latest incinerators to scientifically dispose of the hospitals’ waste besides new pathology labs were being established in 26 DHQ hospitals of different districts by the government in collaboration with the private sector. “CT scan machines will work around the clock in government-run hospitals and are also being established in 26 DHQ Hospitals,” he said and added that filter clinics had also been set up in DHQ hospitals.
“A filter clinic was opened in Vehari two months ago and screenings of 1,434, as well as, vaccinations of 1,666 others have been carried out till now. The government has fulfilled another promise by modernising the Vehari DHQ Hospital and its bed-capacity has been increased to 300 beds,” said the chief minister and added that the journey of public service would continue to facilitate the general public.
He also said that mobile health units had also been procured from Europe in a bid to provide latest treatment facilities in remote hinterlands. “Keeping in view their utility, another 20 mobile health units are being procured,” he added. Shehbaz, after visiting several wards and labs of the hospital, expressed the satisfaction that Vehari DHQ Hospital had emerged as a wonderful institution after its renovation and expansion works.
He appreciated the performance of the hospital’s MS and his team and announced to award them with a consolation prize of Rs1 million.
