F.P. Report
KARACHI/ISLAMABAD: Chairman Pakistan Peoples Party and Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has said that bringing health facilities to the doorsteps of the people is the manifesto of his party, and the Sindh people’s government has developed world-class health institutions as a bright example for other governments.
In his message issued from Media Cell Bilawal House on World Health Day being observed tomorrow, the PPP Chairman said that public health has always been one of the top priorities of his Party. After the creation of Pakistan, most hospitals and health centers were established in the country for the first time during the reign of Quaid-e-Awam Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. The initiative of Lady Health Volunteers by Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto was a revolutionary development, which is the backbone of our public health system across the country. The initiative of anti-polio campaign to save the nation’s children from becoming crippled is also an unforgettable gift of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto to our present and future generations. President Asif Ali Zardari launched ‘Waseela-e-Sehat’ program under the umbrella of Benazir Income Support Program (BISP) for free treatment of poor women.
The PPP Chairman said that National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD) and its satellite network, Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (SIUT), Pir Abdul Qadir Shah Jilani Institute of Medical Sciences Gambat, and the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center (JPMC) and its cyberknife technology unit for cancer treatment are the gifts of the PPP government to the people of the country including the province. He said that after 2008, the Awami government has built more than 500 small and large health centers and hospitals across Sindh. The foundation stone of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (ZABICVD), the world’s largest free cardiology hospital with 1200 beds, is also a reflection of our commitment that having absence of money should not be an obstacle for any Pakistani to get the required media treatment.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari stressed that a large number of the country’s population is forced to live below the poverty line, and the people are also facing historic inflation and unemployment. Under such circumstances the state has the responsibility to fulfill its responsibilities regarding public health.
He reiterated his resolve that if the people gave the mandate to the PPP after the upcoming general elections, the Party will spread the network of institutions like NICVD, SIUT and Gambat Institute across the country, so that people should have access to world class free medical treatment in a dignified manner. Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari endorsed the theme of the World Health Organization, “Health for All”, on the recent World Health Day, saying that this slogan is also the manifesto of his Party.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari also paid tribute to the doctors, nurses, lady health workers and other health professionals who are working day and night to save the lives of their countrymen during the corona virus outbreak. The medical staff who sacrificed their own lives while treating the patients during the pandemic deserve a special place in our prayers, he added.
Bilawal lauds Sindh for pursuing WHO’s theme
