Amid all the political chaos and threats of street agitation, government has decided to up the ante as well, making efforts to boost its image among the masses following the allegations of corruption. The recent visits of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to different parts of the country are a part of this strategy, in which government has announced its plans to establish 46 hospitals. The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz government has been criticised over the years for prioritising projects such as the Metro buses and motorways instead of focusing on necessities like health and education.
While there are fears that the move might be a cosmetic measure from Prime Minister Sharif to boost his party’s image among the masses, the increase of health budget to Rs 22.4 billion from Rs 11.3 billion last year does show a tilt in the priorities of government.
The federal government, on prime minister’s directives, has written to the chief secretaries of four provinces, the Islamabad Capital Territory Administration, and AJK and Gilgit-Baltistan administrations to allocate land for proposed hospitals. Hospitals varying from 50-bed to 500-bed will be constructed in mostly less developed areas of the country. The prime minister said that efforts are needed to tackle poverty along with diseases, and these projects will benefit the poor the most. Furthermore, the prime minister has announced that all
