'Pak accords high priority to health sector'

President Mamnoon Hussain Friday said that Pakistan accorded high priority to health sector and was taking all possible steps to improve healthcare infrastructure and to provide quality medical care to the people. He was talking to a delegation of Royal College of Physicians (RCP), UK, which headed by its president Prof. Jane Dacre called on him here at the Aiwan-e-Sadr.

The delegation included Ian Bullock, Prof. Ali Jawad, Prof. Aamir Ghafoor Khan, Prof. Javed Akram and Steve Crump. Senior officials of the Ministry of National Health Services and senior officers of the President's Secretariat were also present on the occasion. The President appreciated the RCP's partnership with Pakistani doctors and stated that projects like 'Future Hospital Pakistan' were going to set an example of patient care with mutual efforts. He emphasized that together they can make a difference by mitigating challenges to public health. He also urged the delegation to further enhance cooperation with the Pakistani doctors. The President commended the efforts of RCP in organising a conference on advance patient care in Pakistan. He underscored that such endeavours will be beneficial to raise the standards of medical education in the country. He congratulated the delegation on quincentennial celebration year of the RCP. He also wished them a pleasant and comfortable stay in Pakistan.

Meanwhile, Federal Minister for National Health Regulations and Coordination Saira Afzal Tarrar has strongly condemned the cowardly attack by the terrorists on polio team in Balochistan in which two female workers have been martyred. Talking to private news channel health minister said that she had immediately talked to the IG Balochistan after

informing the Prime Minister and would like to reiterate that these terrorists are afraid of Pakistan's progress in the fight against polio. She said that international bodies and various donors and world nations have commended Pakistan's progress.

"Certain enemies of Pakistan do not want us to eradicate polio from our

country but let me tell them our resolve cannot be defeated by such cowardly acts of terrorism," she added.

"The martyred workers have rather rekindled our resolve to finish the polio from the country and save our future generations from this deadly disease," she said.