LARKANA: Chairman Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has once again reaffirmed his vision of establishing world-class educational and healthcare institutions in every district, underscoring that access to quality health and education is not a privilege but a fundamental right.
Emphasising the pivotal role of doctors and paramedics, he called upon healthcare professionals to align themselves with the Sindh government’s modern public health system and to stand at the forefront of the struggle to protect citizens’ right to life, dignity, and compassionate medical care.
Chairman PPP attended the convocation ceremony of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Medical University (SMBBMU) Larkana as chief guest, with Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah at the Bilawal House. Expressing his pleasure at visiting one of Sindh’s leading medical institutions, he said, “I stand before you at a university that carries a name which is not merely a memory, but a promise—a promise of courage, compassion, and an unshakable belief in the dignity of human life.” Recalling Shaheed Benazir Bhutto’s vision, he said that when she spoke of health, she spoke of justice, because a society that denies healthcare denies its people the right to live with dignity.
Addressing the graduates, the PPP Chairman said that Larkana is a symbol of resistance against injustice, belief in democracy, and service to the common people. He urged the newly qualified doctors to ensure that their education never distances them from the poor patient, the anxious mother, or the forgotten child, and commended the faculty and administration for not only teaching medicine but shaping character.
Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari highlighted that, following the 18th Constitutional Amendment’s transfer of powers, the PPP-led Sindh government prioritised the public healthcare sector with substantial investments. He noted that NICVD, devolved to Sindh, has become a global exemplar in cardiac disease treatment. Similarly, through partnership with SIUT and the efforts of Dr Adeeb Rizvi, the institution has expanded across districts, with centres operational in Sukkur and Karachi (including a recently inaugurated new building), and plans to extend facilities further. He added that NICH, like NICVD and SIUT, has emerged as an unparalleled paediatric institution: previously a single federal facility, it now has four centres in Karachi alone, with paediatric treatment and intensive care facilities also provided in Nawabshah, Jamshoro, Sukkur, and Larkana.
He said that under a public–private partnership with the ChildLife Foundation, the Sindh government has established emergency services and emergency rooms for children in all districts of the province. “Our resolve is to establish similar high-quality institutions in every district of Sindh,” he added. Paying tribute to former Chief Minister of Sindh, Syed Qaim Ali Shah, Chairman said that the hospital established during his tenure in Gambat tehsil of Khairpur district, due to its state-of-the-art facilities, is in no way inferior to modern hospitals in the country’s major cities.
Bilawal said there remains considerable scope for improvement in Sindh’s educational institutions. “Historically, I would like to remind that before the creation of Pakistan there was only one university in Sindh ie Sindh University. While from 1947 to 2008, a total of 16 universities were established in the province. Today, since 2008, the total number of universities in Sindh has risen to 30,” he said. The PPP Chairman further said that after 2017–18, when the federal government reduced funding for the Higher Education Commission (HEC), Sindh remained the only province to shoulder this burden and continue supporting its universities. He said that the Sindh government’s objective is to ensure that every district has at least one university campus, and ideally a full-fledged university.
Earlier Bilawal visited graves of Z.A. Bhutto, Benazir Bhutto and other martyrs of Garhi Khuda Bakhsh Bhutto and laid floral wreaths on the graves. Besides, he also met with Jiyalas of Rajanpur and Sanghar.
