QUETTA – Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari during his visit to Quetta on Friday inaugurated 11 transformative public welfare and healthcare projects launched by the Balochistan government, including the province’s first-ever Air Ambulance Service and a state-of-the-art Trauma Center in Quetta. These landmark initiatives are set to redefine healthcare delivery through modernization, accessibility, and people-centric service in the country’s most underdeveloped province.
Describing healthcare not as a privilege but as a fundamental right of every citizen, Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari reaffirmed that it remains the ideology and enduring mission of the Pakistan Peoples Party to ensure the provision of free, quality medical treatment to the people at their very doorstep.
PPP’s Commitment to Pro-Poor Politics
The PPP leader, while addressing the inauguration ceremony of 11 public health projects launched by the government of Balochistan, said that his party has always believed in people-centric and pro-poor politics and has consistently strived to serve the underprivileged segments and neglected regions of the country. He said that the party firmly believes that when the government supports the common man, it strengthens the national economy.
He further said that today not only Balochistan, but the entire country, the region, and the world are confronting numerous challenges that are also contributing to economic hardships. “God forbid, these economic difficulties may eventually turn into a full-fledged economic crisis, particularly worsening the hardships faced by underdeveloped regions and marginalized communities,” he added.
Healthcare as a Right, Not a Privilege
Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that, according to the ideology of the PPP, healthcare is a right of every citizen, not a privilege. “It is your right — the right of every Pakistani and every citizen of Balochistan — to receive free and quality medical treatment,” he added. He stressed that no society or state should have a system where citizens are deprived of medical care due to lack of money or resources, forcing them to lose their own lives or those of their loved ones as a consequence.
Continuing his remarks, he said this is precisely why the PPP has always focused on strengthening the public healthcare sector. “Ever since I entered politics, it has been my endeavor to ensure that our people are provided free and quality healthcare, and that such treatment is made available at their very doorstep,” he added.
Praise for Balochistan Government’s Efforts
The PPP chairman said that Sindh’s performance in the healthcare sector is better than that of the other provinces, and he wanted to introduce healthcare initiatives in Balochistan similar to those implemented in Sindh. He expressed satisfaction over the operationalization of Basic Health Units across Balochistan, along with dozens of other developmental initiatives undertaken in the public health sector.
He appreciated the provincial government, under the leadership of his party’s Chief Minister of Balochistan, Mir Sarfraz Bugti, for launching significant healthcare projects and completing them within a short span of two years. He vowed that by the time the current government completes its tenure, all projects presently under construction would also have reached completion.
He further shared that Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti and Provincial Health Minister Bakht Muhammad Kakar had planned for him to inaugurate 20 projects during the visit. However, he agreed to inaugurate 11 projects in a single day, while the remaining projects would be inaugurated after Eid during his next visit to Quetta.
Air Ambulance and Trauma Center
Bilawal Bhutto welcomed the launch of the Benazir Ambulance Service and the Peoples Air Ambulance Service in Balochistan, saying that the province was in dire need of an air ambulance service to ensure the emergency transfer of patients from remote and far-flung areas. He shared that during his visit to the Trauma Center in Quetta, he was pleased to see doctors and paramedical staff from distant parts of the province serving the people there.
He also praised the dedication and commitment of a doctor who had left his job in Saudi Arabia to serve his fellow countrymen in Quetta. He said that the Quetta Trauma Center is a 150-bed state-of-the-art facility equipped with modern amenities and a paperless system.
Polio Eradication and Provincial Cooperation
Bilawal also appreciated the measures taken by the government of Balochistan for the eradication of polio, and pointed out that it was Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto who, during her tenure as Prime Minister, launched the country’s first anti-polio campaign. He also reaffirmed his commitment that, like Sindh, a network similar to the SICVD would also be established in Balochistan, and that both provinces are working together in this regard.
He said that cooperation among provinces represents the true spirit of the federation. He further said that those spreading negative propaganda against Pakistan and the province would continue to be answered through performance and practical work. He added that while many challenges still remain, success would come through continued hard work and collective efforts, and the forces that do not wish to see the progress and development of the province and the country would ultimately be defeated.
Details of Inaugurated Projects
Meanwhile, during his visit to Quetta, Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari inaugurated 11 major projects, including:
- A 150-bed modern Trauma Center
- The Benazir Ambulance Service
- Balochistan’s first government-run air ambulance equipped with modern medical equipment and neonatal incubators
- Advanced healthcare facilities for women and children under the Bacha Khan Memorial Hospital
- The restoration of 164 Basic Health Units across the province
- A health insurance program for government employees
- An immunization system program
- The expansion of child emergency healthcare facilities under the ChildLife Emergency Services initiative
- The digitalization of the Balochistan Health Department
- The Peoples Welfare Program aimed at improving the supply of medicines and medical equipment in hospitals
- A modern referral system for pregnant women
- TB treatment centers in 10 district hospitals
Earlier, Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari was briefed by the Chief Minister of Balochistan regarding the province’s development projects. During the Quetta visit, PPPP Secretary Information Shazia Mari also accompanied him.
