Punjab Govt, GE Healthcare & Ferozsons Lab Sign MOU

The Punjab government, General Electric Healthcare and Ferozsons Laboratories on Wednesday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), here

LAHORE, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 12th Oct, 2017 ) :The Punjab government, General Electric Healthcare and Ferozsons Laboratories on Wednesday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), here.

Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif was the chief guest of the ceremony which held at Model Town. Secretary Primary Healthcare Ali Jan Khan signed on behalf of the Punjab government, while Mr.

Rob Walton, the Global General Manager signed the agreement on behalf of the General Electric Healthcare. On the occasion, Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif termed the agreement signed between the Punjab government, General Electric Healthcare and Ferozsons Laboratories as a welcome step.

He said that under this agreement, a training centre would be set up in DHQ Hospital Sheikhupura to provide training to Lady Health Workers for conducting the ultrasound and this training process would continue with regularity.

He said that it was the cheapest mechanism being introduced for the first time and the portable ultrasound machines were being imported. As many as 60 machines had been arranged, while 700 more machines were in the pipeline, he added.

He said that portable ultrasound machines were being procured through a transparent bidding process from different international companies and the provision of 700 machines would be started in February 2018.

During this period, the training process of Lady Health Workers would be completed, he added. The CM said that it was a commendable step of the Punjab government which would help rerun the BHUs and RHCs, and women would be the prime beneficiary.

These portable ultrasound machines would be directly interlinked with relevant BHUs and RHCs where trained LHWs would operate these machines, he said and added, "Bringing improvements in primary healthcare is our objective, and it is a big challenge as well which we will win." He said the Punjab government had started motorbikes ambulance service and told that first-aid had been provided in more than 50 cases in different areas in Lahore city.

The Chief Minister, in response to the questions of the media, said that the recruitment of LHWs was made in the dictatorship era of Musharraf and during the PPP tenure while the provinces were not taken on board.

Definitely, the merit was violated in the recruitment of LHWs and there were also issues of their training and merit, he added. Imran Khan opposed metro bus in 2012 and then announced to adopt it keeping in view it's public utility because the Peshawarites were asking for Metro Bus Project.

Niazi Sahib spent four years in sit-ins, strikes, political processions and lock-downing of cities, but turned a deaf ear to the demand of the people and did not lay even a single brick of the project, the CM said and added, "When we started the project of Orange Line Metro Train to give economical and speedy transport facility to the Lahorites, Niazi Sahib took an opposing step and the office-bearers of his party took stay from courts against this public welfare project.

" The work had been halted at eleven points during the last around two years and they had made a dacoity over the rights of common people by creating hurdles in this project, he added.

"How will he face the people in the elections of 2018," he questioned. He said, "It is a time to maintain unity and we need to move further in unison to make the country's progress and to wriggle the country out of crises." He said, "We need to work jointly to bridge the gap between rich and the poor and the ordinary people should be provided same facilities of health and education which are right of every Pakistani and are available to the ultra-rich.

I and other people, belonging to the elite, have access to best healthcare facilities while the hoi polloi are even deprived of basic facilities." To a question about the agitation of visually impaired people, he said that solid steps had been taken for the welfare of special people and added that it's a duty that had been fulfilled.

The Punjab government had given a wonderful package for the blind, and if somebody had shown negligence in its implementation, then he would take action and the responsible would not be let off, he said and added, "The service to the blind is our duty which we will discharge." To another question about the CPEC, the Chief Minister said that CPEC was a national project and schemes had been initiated throughout the country under it.

"We need to show unity and solidarity for the success of this national project and national unity is even more needed today," he added. Shehbaz Sharif said, "I appeal to all the political parties to come forward to change the destiny of the nation and move further collectively to eliminate corruption and other problems." He said that medicines were being given to the hepatitis patients through TCS service at their homes.

Medicines had been delivered to ten thousand people, while the provision of medicines to another 40,000 patients was in progress, he said and added that it was the first time in the history of the country that patients were receiving medicines at their homes through TCS and it was a unique phenomenon.

He said that state-of-the-art hepatitis filter clinics were being established to provide best healthcare facilities to the people. He said that the policy of transparency was being fully followed in development projects.

"We can also provide high-quality education and healthcare facilities to our children and to the people which are available in developed countries because we have resources along with the availability of a trained human resource.

We can achieve our goals through hard work, commitment and patience," concluded the Chief Minister. Provincial Ministers Kh. Salman Rafiq, Kh. Imran Nazir, Chief Secretary, Health Secretaries and high officials were also present on the occasion. APP/saa/zqr