MIRPUR (AJK): Prime Minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir Sardar Tanveer Ilyas has said that his government was determined to ensure the delivery of quality medical facilities to the masses close to their doorstep across the liberated territory.

He was talking to a delegation of Mirpur Healthcare Community led by Dental Surgeon Dr. Adnan Marghoub Khan and Dr Ijaz Raja which called on him here late Saturday.

They briefed the premier about the issues relating to the hospital and medical college. They also presented a charter of demands on behalf of the community.

The charter of demands included increasing the honorarium of house officers and post-graduate trainees in the upcoming budget, increasing the salary of medical officers and specialists according to their respective cadres and grades, increase of salary and grant of allowances to doctors working in remote areas, regularization of 120 doctors with more than five years of ad-hoc service who served during the Corona epidemic, addressing the shortage of staff at Kashmir Institute of Cardiology Mirpur on emergency basis, immediate appointment of Nephrologist at DHQ Mirpur, permanent appointment of Psychiatrist at DHQ Mirpur, establishment of Oncology Hospital in Mirpur for treatment of cancer patients, enhancing post-graduate training opportunities, starting MSMD program organized by universities in various specialties, allocation of 100 kanals of government land for doctors in all three divisional headquarters of Mirpur, Rawalkot and Muzaffarabad.

The AJK Prime minister agreed upon all the demands and assured the visiting delegates that all their legitimate demands would be fulfilled and whatever problems faced by the community would be addressed on a priority basis. He also assured the delegation that during his next visit to the city, he would pay a detailed visit to Benzair Bhutto Shaheed Medical College.

The delegation included Dr. Ashfaq Ahmad Raja, Dr. Tahir Mehmood, Dr. Gohar Latif, Dr. Ahmed Naeem Kayani, Dr. Shoaib Khan, Dr. Majid Altaf, Sajid Ahmad Chaudhry and others, whereas Medical Superintendent Divisional Headquarters Teaching Hospital Mirpur Dr. Amir Aziz and Principal Benazir Bhutto Shaheed Medical College Professor Dr. Faisal Bashir was also present on the occasion.

Meanwhile, Central Chairman Zakat Council Chaudhry Muhammad Siddique also called on Prime Minister Sardar Tanveer Ilyas Khan. Speaking on the occasion, the PM directed the concerned authorities to ensure fair distribution of Zakat among the poor and needy in Azad Kashmir. The PM said that as per his announcement, an amount of 6000 and 12000 rupees should be paid as zakat and dowry funds to the needy.

The Chairman of Central Zakat Council, Chaudhry Muhammad Siddique, briefed the Prime Minister about the issues related to the Zakat Council.

The Prime Minister assured him that all the problems faced by the Council would be addressed on a priority basis.

On this occasion, the government ministers including Chaudhry Yasir Sultan, Chaudhry Ali Shan Soni, Chaudhry Maqbool Gujjar were also present.