Serving ailing humanity collective responsibility: PM

LAHORE: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif emphasized on Sunday that those entrusted with the responsibility of serving humanity should strive to provide free-of-cost health and education facilities to the underprivileged segments of society.

He made these remarks while addressing a conference at the Pakistan Kidney and Liver Institute (PKLI) in Lahore, aimed at raising awareness about the elimination of Hepatitis-C in the country.

Addressing the participants, the prime minister stressed the collective responsibility of serving the poor and deprived masses by establishing healthcare facilities like PKLI, aligning with the vision of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of the nation, and the concept of a welfare state.

Prime Minister Sharif hailed the conference as historic and expressed his desire to see PKLI operating on par with prestigious institutions like Johns Hopkins in the USA.

The journey of PKLI began in 2014 when Prime Minister Sharif requested Dr Saeed Akhtar to establish a state-of-the-art institute for kidney and liver diseases in Punjab.

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The institute operates as an autonomous body to ensure efficiency and minimize bureaucratic hurdles. The project was launched in 2015 and completed in 2018, marking the first successful kidney transplant.

Highlighting the achievements, PM Sharif noted that PKLI has performed a total of 1000 transplants, a significant milestone.

With Rs15 billion in the trust fund, PKLI aims to provide free treatment to the less privileged, he said.

Previously, liver disease patients had to seek treatment in neighbouring countries, but PKLI has become a symbol of equality and inclusivity, serving patients regardless of their social class.

The prime minister lamented the disparity between rich and poor, emphasizing that the less fortunate should also have access to the best medical facilities.

Referring to the Hepatitis C programme, PM Sharif mentioned the provision of Rs35 billion by the federal government, based on half percent contribution from provincial governments, to combat the disease.

He also inaugurated the national Hepatitis C elimination program and marked the groundbreaking of PKLI University during the event.

Governor Punjab Muhammad Balighur Rehman expressed the significance of the occasion for the health and education sectors in the country.

He praised the progress made during the PML-N government, which established a network of esteemed institutions.

However, he also raised concerns over the number of out-of-school children in the country.

Dr Saeed Akhtar highlighted the success of PKLI in establishing an information-based system that serves the ailing and underprivileged segments of society.

Despite the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, PKLI performed thousands of surgeries and transplants, reaching a remarkable milestone of 1000 such procedures, he said.

Since its inception in December 2017, PKLI has catered to over 3.5 million patient interactions, with over 2 million patient interactions at the PKLI hospital alone in a short span of time, he said.

Furthermore, the Hepatitis Prevention and Treatment Programme has served over 1.5 million patient visits for Hepatitis relief since its launch until June 2019.