A meeting of the provincial Apex Committee was convened at the Chief Minister's office in Lahore on Saturday. The meeting was jointly chaired by Punjab Caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Lahore Corps Commander Lieutenant General Syed Aamer Raza, a statement released by the CM House said.
At the outset of the meeting, progress made on decisions taken during the last meeting in February 2023 was reviewed.
The participants took a holistic view of progress on the Revised National Action Plan (NAP) and matters about overall security, including the Punjab Safe City Project.
The forum noted that the Safe City Project installations and equipment suffered a massive loss due to vandalism by miscreants on May 9, 2023. The subsequent remedial measures to repair the system were also reviewed.
Security arrangements for the ongoing post-census drive and the upcoming Muharram ul Haram were also discussed.
The forum was also briefed about the close cooperation and joint response of civil administration and armed forces for mitigating problems caused by floods.
The forum expressed satisfaction over measures in place for the security of foreigners in the province, especially Chinese nationals, including those employed on China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects.
The committee resolved to continue working in synergy to defeat terrorism and achieve common goals highlighted by NAP.
Cabinet committee
The cabinet of the provincial caretaker government met in the Chief Minister's Office on Friday. Caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi chaired the meeting.
During the meeting, it was decided to improve the situation of providing treatment at major provincial hospitals.
In this regard, the meeting decided to upgrade services and facilities at the seven major public-run hospitals of the province.
The decision will impact the Mayo Hospital (Lahore), Jinnah Hospital (Lahore), General Hospital (Lahore), Dental Hospital (Lahore), Children's Hospital (Lahore), Nishtar Hospital (Multan), and Allied Hospital (Faisalabad). These medical facilities will be renovated and restructured in a plan that will cost the government Rs5 billion in public funds.
The provincial caretaker cabinet decided to improve facilities at the Children's Hospital and the Institute of Child Health in Multan, particularly care and facilities provided in the emergency ward at these two institutions.
Moreover, to provide government employees with the option to seek medical treatment at additional facilities, it was decided to set up a fund at the Pakistan Kidney and Liver Transplant Institute (PKLI) dedicated to treating government employees.
Moreover, it was decided to rename the District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital in Kasur as 'Baba Bulleh Shah Hospital Kasur' after the famed poet and Sufi.
Similarly, the DHQ in Faisalabad would be renamed Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan Hospital. The DHQ has been named after the legendary Qawwal.
The provincial cabinet also approved a grant-in-aid to upgrade facilities at the Government Central Model School on Lower Mall.
With the city inundated during the recent spell of rain, the provincial cabinet decided to withdraw the subjects of water supply and sanitation from the respective local governments and entrusted it to the Punjab Rural Municipal Services Company.
The provincial interim cabinet also approved a proposal to de-notify the board of directors of the Punjab Agriculture and Meat Company.