Minister Excise & Taxation, Finance, Law Punjab Mujtaba Shuja ur Rehman emphasized the need for public awareness campaign regarding patients of physical and mental disability, however as the special persons could not look after themselves, therefore, the family members/civil society should look after these patients properly. He said that there would be coexist, indirect and competition with children from India and China, whereas, China is mining talent from 80-90%, India from 50% and we must do everything for the welfare of our young generation. He said that our children may enrich with education and habit of hard work therefore parents and teachers have to play basic role in this regard. He said that government is using all available resources for providing better healthcare facilities to the people especially mother & child in the province and the priority areas of the targets are rural folk.
While talking to a delegation of local NGO working for special persons regarding World Day for Mental Diseases, Mujtaba Shuja-ur-Rehman said that those persons who dedicate their lives & resources for social welfare are the assets of the society and government would provide all out cooperation and assistance to such people as well as NGOs. He said that provincial government is also providing maximum funds for the rehabilitation of physically and mentally handicapped persons so that they could become self-reliant, useful and active members of the society. He said all out cooperation would be provided to the institutions working for rehabilitation of handicapped persons for creating awareness among the public regarding special people. He told that DFID Michael Barber has said that encouraging results are being witnessed in health sector under the leadership of Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif and public health facilities are improving in the province and DFID team has also appreciated the steps taken by Punjab government for the coverage of immunization programme of children. He said that Punjab Health Reforms Roadmap is of vital importance for providing quality health facilities to the masses and it is need of the hour to make this programme successful and target has been fixed for provision of modern health facilities to the people in basic health centers whereas medical facilities to the patients round the clock in 700 basic health centers would be ensured till May this year.
Mujtaba Shuja-ur-Rehman said that by increasing the health budget up to 121.80 billion rupees, the present government has ensured modern health facilities and free medicines to poor and resource-less people. He said that people of rural and remote areas are also being provided treatment facilities through mobile health units and Rs. 1 billion has been provided for this purpose. He said that huge sum of Rs.47.44 billion will be spent for treatment facility and upgrade the hospitals during current financial year. He said that four billion rupees have been provided for issuance of health insurance cards under which people having low income would be able to get state-of-the-art healthcare facilities in private medical institutes as well as in public sector hospitals. He said that Rs.60 crore has been reserved for dialysis facilities to the poor kidney patients. He said that huge amount of 8.25 billion would be spent on the provision of free treatment and medicines to the poor and destitute in public sector hospitals of the province.