PBM contributes Rs15.4bn against life-threatening diseases in 5 years

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Bait-ul-Mal (PBM) contributed 15.4 billion rupees in the last five years to support more than 150,000 patients suffering from life-threatening diseases.

This was shared in a press briefing given by Managing Director PBM Shaheen Khalid Butt to Minister for Poverty Alleviation Imran Shah during his visit to the PBM headquarters.

The MD PBM briefed the minister on the organisation’s ongoing welfare initiatives, said an official statement issued after the briefing.

Secretary, Poverty Alleviation, Navid Ahmed Shaikh was also present on the occasion.

The minister was informed that over the past five years, scholarships worth approximately Rs 970 million were awarded to over 32,000 students from Grade 11 up to doctorate level.

For women’s empowerment, more than 475,000 women were given vocational training through 165 women empowerment centres, the minister was briefed.

To protect children, 46 sweet homes and 160 child labour schools are currently operational, the briefing suggested.

“In addition, more than 9.7 million individuals have benefitted from 17 Panahgahs (shelters), while under the ‘Food for All’ initiative, 30 food vans are distributing meals daily across various regions,” according to MD PBM.

Persons with disabilities have been provided with artificial limbs, assistive devices, and financial support, and the first senior citizens home for the elderly has been established in Lahore, Butt briefed Shah.

The minister said surprise monthly visits be conducted to welfare institutions, particularly Panahgahs and sweet homes, to ensure the effective delivery of services.

He said modern training courses be arranged for trainers at women empowerment centres and child labour schools, and that the certificates awarded by these centres be upgraded to meet international standards for practical application.

A regular audit and impact assessment of all projects be conducted, and digitisation be adopted to improve transparency and redirect expenditure on health and education initiatives, Shah said.

The child protection centres and schools in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa be expanded on priority basis, and services such as thalassemia centres be scaled up across the country, he stressed.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025