KARACHI: The Caretaker Chief Minister of Punjab, Mohsin Naqvi, accompanied by the Caretaker CM of Sindh, Justice Maqbool Baqar, toured the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD) on Wednesday.
Naqvi commended the NICVD and its Chest Mobile Vans, acknowledging the provision of top-notch health facilities to patients in Sindh. He expressed plans to implement a similar health facilities model in Punjab.
Caretaker CM Baqar, addressing the media, clarified that he has no disputes with the caretaker health minister of Sindh. He emphasized that the caretaker government did not approve the procurement of robots for Sindh hospitals nor issued tenders. Baqar explained that the previous government had issued tenders for robots, and constitutionally, the caretaker government could not cancel them. The health minister subsequently canceled the tender.
Baqar further stated that the health minister aimed to redirect funds allocated for robots to other healthcare needs. However, the caretaker government lacked the authority to divert funds approved by the assembly for another purpose.
Regarding the procurement of Chinese robots at a lower cost, Baqar mentioned that no final decisions have been made, and discussions are ongoing about the potential acquisition of Chinese robots.
The previous Sindh government had planned to procure two robots for each of the Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (SIUT) and Liaquat University Hospital, Hyderabad. Additionally, one robot each was intended for the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, Karachi, and Gambat Institute of Medical Sciences.
