Punjab Minister for Specialized Healthcare & Medical Education Khawaja Salman Rafique and Secretary Health Najam Ahmed Shah inaugurated the first public sector breast cancer screening center at Lady Aitcheson Hospital here on Tuesday. This center has been established at a cost of Rs. 90 million to provide dynastic facilities to the patients. On this occasion, talking to the media persons, Kh. Salman Rafique said that lot of improvement have been brought in the health sector by taking various steps for the health sector development due to which health facilities are being enhanced in Punjab day by day. He said that breast cancer screening center has been established in Lady Aitcheson Hospital to facilitate gyne patients. He said that the basic objective of setting up the centre is to protect the females from the deadly disease. Kh. Salman Rafique further said that under the direct supervision of the Chief Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, health sector is developing rapidly and during the last few years a number of new hospitals have been constructed and capacity of exiting hospitals has also been enhanced. He said that up-gradation and revamping program of hospitals and health centers is also being implemented and new medical equipments and gadgets including CT scans, X-ray machines, ventilators and other medical equipments are being installed in the hospitals, on which billions of rupees are being spent. Vice Chancellor King Edward Medical University Prof. Qazi Saeed, Medical Superintendent LAH Dr. Samina Naseer, faculty members, doctors, nurses and paramedics attended the inaugural ceremony. Dr. Samina Naseer said that all the facilities have been gathered under one roof to facilitate the patients coming to the hospital. She said that counseling counters have also been established in the breast screening center to convince the patients for the check up to remove the doubt of breast cancer. She said that mostly females are shy to share such problems with others even they do not disclosed such problems with their family members and it disclosed at such stage when the disease penetrate in the internal body parts. Dr. Samina Naseer said that our mission is to promote prevention in the society and to protect the women from breast cancer. The center has been equipped with digital mammography machine, digital ultrasound machine and digital X-ray machine. The hospital would extend these facilities to the patients free of cost.
Secretary Specialized Healthcare Najam Ahmed Shah, talking to the media persons said that breast cancer screening centers would also be established in other hospitals and the model of LAH would be replicated in other public sector hospitals. Secretary Health appreciated the professional dedication and hard working of Dr. Samina Naseer who played a pivotal role in completing various development projects in the hospital including breast cancer center, daycare center and laundry plant etc. The Secretary said that Dr. Samina Naseer took personal interest and work day and night to accomplish the task. Najam Ahmed Shah said that government is implementing “patient first” policy and all the resources are being spent to provide quality healthcare to the patients.
