Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday said he regretted that "dirty politics" kept the facility of Pakistan Kidney and Liver Institute (PKLI) non-operational for two years and brought it to a grinding halt.
He made these remarks while inaugurating the Saleem Memorial Trust Hospital in Lahore, Dawn reported.
"Only politics and dirty politics kept the hospital non-operational for two years. It came to a grinding halt," he said, asking "what could be a bigger travesty for the poor," Sharif said.
Pakistan Prime Minister said that PKLI was established on the same "analogy" and billions of rupees were invested in it. He further said that he wanted it to become Pakistan's John Hopkins.
Shehbaz Sharif asserted that PKLI is a 'World Class Hospital' but still the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf has neglected it, Dawn reported.
"Without going into any kind of blame game, just because it was built under our watch, this hospital that was meant to serve thousands and thousands from all over Pakistan [...] eminent doctors physicians and surgeons came, but what happened after the government changed is a sorrowful tale. I am not here to tell that tale," Shehbaz Sharif added.
Pakistan Prime Minister further said that it was ultimately people's money which was at stake. He also said that the income left over after the divisible pool primarily went towards debt servicing and defence spending.
Shehbaz Sharif pointed out that when he inaugurated the PKLI in May 2018, five transplants had already been done. He also recalled how the wife of one of the patients had told him that their life has changed due to the free-of-cost treatment, according to Dawn.
Shehbaz Sharif said when he was the Punjab Chief Minister in 2008, he made sure to expand the scope of Rescue 1122 and said that it was a great initiative taken by Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid's (PML-Q) Chaudhry Parvez Elahi.
"It was such a great initiative that I expanded it to the whole province. Because it was not [about] Parvez Elahi, it was about patients in this country and serving the common man in this country. It's about that," he added.
PM Shehbaz also paid tribute to all those involved in establishing the hospital which would benefit millions of patients in the future, reported Dawn.
( With inputs from ANI )
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