The Health Department has taken notice of incidents in which fraudsters are allegedly deceiving nurses by offering assistance in transfers, leave approvals and other service-related matters in exchange for money.
Official Letter Issued
In an official letter issued by the Secretary of the Specialized Healthcare and Medical Education Department to Allied Hospital-I, Allied Hospital-II, Teaching Hospital G.M. Abad, DG Nursing, Principals of Nursing Colleges and other hospitals and medical institutions across Punjab including Faisalabad, it has been revealed that some fraudulent individuals are contacting charge nurses through different phone numbers and pretending to be influential personalities. These elements assure nurses of providing assistance in matters including transfers, approval of leaves, resignations and other official service issues, and demand illegal financial benefits in return. Several such cases have already been reported.
Instructions for Nurses
The Health Department has directed all charge nurses that if they receive any such suspicious call, they should immediately inform the concerned Medical Superintendent or Nursing Superintendent so that appropriate legal action can be initiated against the individuals involved.
Scholarship Distribution by Provincial Minister
In a separate development, Provincial Minister for Minority Affairs, Sardar Ramesh Singh Arora, distributed scholarship cheques worth Rs7.56 million among 126 talented students from the minority community at the Divisional Model College hall. On this occasion, MPA Mian Tahir Jameel, Raja Abdullah Ashfaq Sarwar, Additional Deputy Commissioner (Finance & Planning) Mudassar Mumtaz, Admin Officer Riaz Hussain Anjum, Vice President Minority Advisory Council Punjab Kamran Bhatti, Bishop David Emmanuel, Principal DMC Mirza Yaseen and representatives of the minority community were also present.
Government Initiatives for Minorities
Addressing the ceremony, the provincial minister said that the government is taking steps for the educational and social development of minorities, and that the number of scholarships and funding has been increased during the tenure of Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz Sharif. He added that there is a plan to increase the number of minority scholarships from 1,000 to 2,000 next year. He further stated that 100,000 Minority Cards have been issued for underprivileged minority families, out of which 85,000 families belong to the Christian community. He also mentioned that 20,000 of these Christian families are headed by women. Facilities are being provided to minority youth for preparation of Civil Service examinations, while restoration and renovation work of places of worship and cultural heritage of minorities is also underway.
