Dr. Yasmin Raashid, health advisor to PTI Chairman said CM Punjab's admission while addressing at the first convocation of the University of Health Sciences (UHS), who is heading the province for the last seven years has admitted that provincial health department has failed to achieve targets. It is good that Khadam I Alla has finally confessed failure of its government to provide health facilities to the public, however there are few chances that he would do something for health sector improvement she added. She said the public would like to know who has stopped Sharif Brothers from introducing health reforms in the province. Sharif Brothers were in power from the last 35 years, if their thinking ability would not have been restricted to motorways and metro buses people of Punjab would have enjoyed best health facilities she added. She said the shortage of doctors, especially gynecologist, surgeons, female medical officers, and other facilities in public hospitals has made a mockery of the Punjab government???s health sector reforms programme. The poor public has no other option but to go to expensive private hospitals or die in the hands of quacks she added. She said if Sharif Brothers could come out of their mega projects obsession then only health and education can be improved in the province.
PTI Information Secretary Andleeb Abbas said this admission epitomises Punjab government???s missing sense of seriousness towards the deplorable healthcare sector in the province. This can be judged from the fact that there is one doctor for 1700 patients in the province. The sorry state-of-affairs in health sector are not new; Khadam I Alla has just woken from the deep slumber she added. She said the entire health budget for the province is Rs 166.13 billion and major chunk of the budget would be spend on salaries and perks and privileges of health department employees. While for a single orange line metro train Khadam I Alla is ready to burn 165 billion she added. She said PTI government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has reformed the public health care system with in two and half years, which PML-N was not able, to do even after 35 years rule in Punjab. PILDAT survey released on Friday states that 75 percent people in KPK are satisfied with public health care system against 64 percent in Punjab she added. She said as per the PILDAT survey due to remarkable improvement in public health care in KPK, public approval rating has jumped from 30 percent in 2014 to 75 percent in 2015.She said the ruling elite enjoys free medical treatment in the foreign countries would never understand the problems of the poor public who have to sell their property to get themselves treated.