MULTAN-German Ambassador in Pakistan Ina Lepel and the Punjab health minister jointly inaugurated Regional Blood Centre in Multan on Wednesday. The centres in Multan and Bahawalpur have been set up at a cost of Rs300 million with the financial support of Germany.
Speaking on the occasion, the German ambassador declared the Multan and Bahawalpur centres a big success story. She added that the safe blood transfusion was tantamount to saving precious human lives. Each citizen should donate blood at least thrice a year, she said. She declared that the German government would continue its support for the development of Pakistan.
Health Minister Kh Salman Rafiq said that the two regional blood centres had been set up in Multan and Bahawalpur under Punjab Government’s Safe Blood Transfusion Project and 11 hospitals of South Punjab were connected to these centres while in second phase centres would be established in Lahore and Faisalabad.
He further said that the blood banks of Jinnah and Meo hospitals would be upgraded under the same programme while a regional blood centre would be set up in Faisalabad. “All of these centres will provide safe blood to the linked hospitals for free,” he added.
He said that the centres in Multan and Bahawalpur would offer safe blood to four million residents of entire South Punjab including Multan, Muzaffargarh, Khanewal, Lodhran and Bahawalpur. He disclosed that the Regional Blood Centre Multan had the storage capacity of 50,000 pints a year and both the centres were equipped with latest machinery and highly qualified staff.
He said that the provincial government was striving hard to offer the best healthcare facilities for the people and establishment of big hospitals besides supply of quality medicines and making blood transfusion process safer was also part of the vision.
Mayor Multan Naveed ul Haq Arrain, Chairman District Council Dewan Abbas Bokhari, Deputy Mayor Munawar Ehsan Qureshi and others were also present on this occasion.
WORK AT PARKS STARTS: The Parks and Horticulture Authority (PHA) has started rehabilitation work to restore recreational activities in two old parks including Bagh Langay Khan and Aam Khas Bagh.
According to PHA spokesman Jalaluddin on Wednesday, the PHA has prepared 60,000 flowerpots to place at different locations of the city.
44 ARRESTED: The police arrested 44 criminals and recovered drugs and illegal weapons from their possession here on Wednesday.
According to police sources, police recovered 163 litre liquor, 3.745 kg Hashish, one pistol and bullets from the accused. Police also apprehended 16 proclaimed offenders and others. Separate cases have been registered against the accused.