Govt to convert Islamabad into model health city: Kiani

ISLAMABAD, March 6 (APP):Minister for National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination Aamer Mehmood Kiani Wednesday reiterated his government’s resolve to convert Islamabad into a model health city.
The health ministry would make all out efforts to reduce major diseases rate in the capital as 99 per cent ailments were curable, he said while inaugurating a health care programme ‘Let’s cure Hepatitis B, C and Tuberculosis’ here at France Colony.
Kiani vowed to make Islamabad an example for the other provinces to follow by revamping its health care facilities and institutions to ensure better health services to public. Criticizing the previous regimes for not focusing the health sector, he said some 35 years ago three hospitals were established in the federal capital. The numbers were still same as health was not the priority of the former governments, he regretted.
The minister said his ministry was working out various public-centric initiatives by following the vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan which was clear to uplift the poor segment of the society.
He said as health was a first priority of every person, the government was planning to set up two new hospitals in the city by the end of May, 2019 and extend the already established hospitals by constructing new blocks and increasing its staffers.
Mentioning the government’s newly launched Sehat Insaf Card, he said they would distribute around 85,000 cards among the deserving families of the capital. Each deserving family would get medical treatment worth Rs720,000 annually, he added.
The minister said the department was mulling over distributing this card among their own departments’ workers.
He also rejected the rumors that the aspirant had to fulfill a form for availing the card saying the government would deliver the card on the door step of deserving people.
Speaking about ‘Let’s cure Hepatitis B, C and Tuberculosis’, he said “We are starting this project from the capital’s slums and will cover the entire city in coming days.”
Under this programme, he said the ministry had established a Model Center for infectious diseases at Civil Surgeon Dispensary in Sector G-7 of the federal capital to provide screening, testing and treatment for hepatitis B&C, Tuberculosis and other infectious diseases under one roof.
He said the teams of health ministry would visit the slum areas and conduct the screening test of every individual and refer those residents who found positive for above mentioned diseases to the model center for expert gene test and further treatment.
He also sought the public cooperation and appealed them to treat well the visiting teams of the ministry.
The minister also advised the people to ensure cleanliness in their homes and streets as the infectious diseases directly linked with unhygienic conditions.
He also thanked the Lady Health Visitors and Lady Health Workers for their hard work in the field.
Talking to APP, Head of the project Gastroenterologist Dr Humma Qureshi said she bargained this project from the United States of America and made this possible with help of government and private sectors including Integral Consulting and Sarwar Foundation.
She said around Rs15,000 would be spent on the treatment of each person having Tuberculosis.
“Preventable deaths can be prevented by ensuring free access to the treatment,” Humma remarked.
Sardar Maseeh, France Colony resident appreciated the government’s initiative saying a facility at door step for a poor man was a blessing.