Social sector: Punjab has 'definitive' edge over other provinces: Unicef official

Appreciating the cooperation rendered by the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) for mother and child health schemes, basic education and other sectors, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has sought technical assistance instead of any financial aid from the Fund.
While talking to a high-level delegation of Unicef on Monday, Shahbaz, however, said public welfare projects will be completed from indigenous resources by the Punjab government. He added that sufficient results have been achieved by the Punjab government in its anti-polio drives and the campaign for overcoming the deaths of newborn children.
He said financial resources will be provided for innovative schemes of health and education sectors and the projects will be completed by benefiting from professional capabilities of Unicef's experts.
The Unicef regional director Jean Gough said Shahbaz Sharif is a visionary leader and under his dynamic leadership, Punjab enjoys definite edge over other provinces in health, education and other social sectors.
According to her, decrease in death rate of newly born children, health of mother and child, increase in schools' enrolment and decrease in drop out ratio are a proof of success of Punjab government steps.
She further said Unicef is cooperating in the planning of digital birth registration programme, education and health schemes. Shahbaz said on the occasion that an organised programme of consummate cleanliness in villages, across the province, has been started for the first time in the history of the country and this project, which has been started with huge funding, will be continued in future as well. He said thousands tonnes of solid waste has been removed through 'Saaf Dehaat Programme' and success of this programme has been ensured through third-party monitoring.
Due to the efforts of Punjab government, a new culture of public service delivery has been introduced in the government hospitals and due to it; people prefer public sector hospitals for their treatment now, he said.
Shahbaz further said ambulance programme is going on successfully for transfer of patients from villages to the hospitals. Meanwhile, provision of higher education has been ensured for bright but deserving students through PEEF and government has also provided 40 thousand tablets to the schools for bringing improvements in their standard of education.
The meeting was told that Unicef is providing training to the staff of more than four thousand union councils in the province and 34 water filtration plants are being established initially for the provision of clean drinking water.
Jean Gough reiterated the proposal of providing technical assistance to Punjab for clean drinking water, sanitation, health, education and other projects.
Country Director Unicef Aida Girma-Melakuis, Chief Field Officer Unicef Punjab Douglas G Higgins, Health Specialist Dr Tahir Manzoor, Addl Chief Secretary (C&W), Secretary Housing, Secretary P&S Health and others were present on the occasion.