TAXILA: Medical services units would be established in all district headquarters (DHQ) hospitals of Punjab to provide free-of-cost medicines to patients in need.

This was said by Minister for Social Welfare and Baitul Mal Syed Yawar Abbas Bukhari during the ground-breaking ceremony of a medical services unit at District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital, Attock district, on Sunday.

The centre would be completed at a cost of Rs10 million next year and would aim to provide medical assistance to poor patients in the province under the administrative supervision of the social welfare department.

The department`s director, MohammadShahid, Deputy Director Haseeb Khalid, District Health Authority Chief Executive Dr Jawad Elahi, Medical Social Welfare Officer Hafiz Mohammad Zubair, PTI`s focal person for Attock Khawar Bukhari and other notables of the area were present on the occasion.

Mr Bukhari said the annual budget for the medical social welfare had been raised from Rs1.3 million to Rs3.8 million, adding that the Punjab government had allocated Rs600 million for social welfare centres across the province.

`Besides, special Quran and Braille printers are being provided free-of-cost to differently-abled people. The social welfare department has also issued the Special Persons Act under his supervisionwhich has been appreciated by the high court while measures are being taken for the welfare of transgender persons,` he added.

A sum of Rs45 million had been allocated for the upgradation and enhancement of different training facilities across the province while the sale of products manufactured there also rose to Rs1.2 million during the current fiscal year, he said, adding that the provincial government had allocated Rs231 million for establishment of seven shelter homes in different parts of the province includingDera Ghazi Khan, Bahawalpur, Sargodha, Multan, Faisalabad and Sahiwal.

He said an educational institute for differently-abled people called `Nasheman` is being inaugurated on March 31, adding that the Mother and Child Care Hospital would be completed at a cost of Rs5 million next fiscal year.

He said the nursing school would be upgraded to a nursing college so students of the area did not have to travel to other cities. A blood bank will also be set up in the hospital to facilitate thalassemia patients, he added.-Correspondent