The government has planned to establish the Patient Welfare Organisation in order to provide medicines to the poor patients being treated at public hospitals. The new organisation would be operational after Eidul Azha, said Information Minister Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan here on Thursday. She was speaking during her visit to the Children Hospital of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), accompanied by the wife of Saudi Ambassador to Pakistan Abdul Aziz Ibrahim bin Saleh Al-Ghadeer. The information minister said, “The need for establishing the organisation was being felt because that could facilitate poor patients with the medicines since currently, with an increase in the financial burden on the federal government.” She said at present Pakistan Baitul Maal was facilitating poor patients to a great extent but it also had limited resources.
“The organisation will be funded by national and international donors, embassies and privileged people,” the minister said. She said the medicines under that programme would be given to poor patients and the government would ensure that they would not be resoled. She said that at first the organisation would be established on the federal level and later it would be set up at the provincial level as well. Mrs Ibrahim, on the occasion, pledged her full assistance for the new project. Later both the ladies also distributed gifts among the children being treated at the hospital.
