MULTAN: Punjab Governor Malik Rafique Rajwana said on Tuesday that he would recommend Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif to grant the status of a university to the Nishtar Medical College.

He was addressing Nishtar Hospital and Medical College Board of Management, its faculty members and members of academic council here on Tuesday.

Thegovernoralsopledged release of funds from finance department to increase the bed capacity of thehospitalupto1,700beds.

`Being a citizen of Multan, I am very well aware of the issues relating to health sector. Giving varsity status to the Nishtar Medical College by affiliating the medical colleges of south Punjab is need of the hour and I will use all my influence (for this),` he said.

He said besides pleading the case for increasing the hospital`s bed capacity to 1,700, he would also make efforts getting approved additional posts of nurses and doctors for the facility.

He also sought a summary regarding the pay package and other facilities of the doctors working at the basic health units(BHUs) and rural health centers (RHCs) that would be dispatched to the government.

The governor was informed in a briefing by the administration that burden of patients on the hospital could be reduced by improving the condition of town, tehsil and district headquarters hospitals in south Punjab.

He was briefed that funds were required to construct new operation theaters in the hospital while nephrology ward too needed state of the art machinery.

He was told that every month some 97,000 patients visited the hospital`s outdoor ward and emergency ward was providing treatment to some 31,000 patients monthly.

Similarly, every month 2,500 major and 1,200 minor operations were being conducted at the hospital, besides provision of free of cost dialysis facility to 2,500 patients.

The hospital also needed two MRI and as many CT scan machines, one digital X-ray machine and one endoscope machine, besides upgrade of its cardiology ward and construction of residential tower for doctors, the governor was told.

Earlier, presiding over a meeting held to review the development projects, the governor said the provincial government was keen to develop southern Punjab.

The governor was also briefed about various ongoing projects in the division.