ISLAMABAD, Nov 20 (APP): Federal Minister for Health, Syed Mustafa Kamal on Thursday urged citizens and relevant departments to ensure a clean and healthy environment, emphasizing that improved surroundings significantly reduce the risk of diseases.
Speaking to the media during his visit to the newly established 200-bed Accident and Emergency Department at PIMS Hospital, he said it is everyone’s responsibility to maintain a healthy environment to prevent illness, noting that experts stress that “precaution is better than cure.”
He added that the government alone could not achieve the goal of healthier society, as even the world’s most developed societies prioritize public welfare by contribution individually.
Kamal focused that after the 18th Amendment, the health sector has been devolved to the provinces, making it essential for relevant authorities to build a robust system that effectively safeguards public health.
He also highlighted the advanced health systems in developed countries, based on preventive care and state-of-the-art medical facilities.
While talking about the role PIMS hospital in provision of health, he said when PIMS Hospital was built, the population was 20 percent less, today the population has increased, adding that on the other hand, a large number of people from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu came here for treatment.
He underscored that the old emergency had only 36 beds, while the new emergency, established at a cost of Rs 6.5 billion, has 177 beds and 4 operation theaters.
On this occasion, Executive Director of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) is Professor Dr Rana Imran and other team members briefed the Federal Minister.