QUETTA: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Friday inaugurated 11 major public welfare and healthcare projects in Balochistan, including the province’s first-ever air ambulance service and a modern trauma centre in Quetta — initiatives aimed at strengthening emergency care and expanding access to healthcare in one of the country’s most underserved regions.
The projects, launched by the Balochistan government, were described as landmark interventions in healthcare modernisation and service delivery, with a focus on accessibility and patient-centred care.
Addressing the inaugural ceremony, Bilawal said healthcare was not a privilege but a fundamental right of every citizen, reaffirming that it remained central to the ideology and mission of the PPP to ensure free and quality medical treatment for people at their doorstep.
He said the party had consistently pursued pro-poor and people-centric policies, focusing on neglected regions and vulnerable communities. Stressing the importance of state support for citizens, he said effective governance in social sectors also contributed to broader national economic stability.
Bilawal cautioned that rising global and domestic challenges could deepen economic pressures, particularly in underdeveloped regions, warning that such difficulties, if unmanaged, could escalate into a wider crisis.
Reiterating PPP’s stance, he said no citizen should be deprived of healthcare due to financial constraints. “It is the right of every Pakistani and every citizen of Balochistan to receive free and quality medical treatment,” he said.
The PPP chairman said his long-standing political focus had been on strengthening public healthcare systems and ensuring equitable access. He added that Sindh’s healthcare model could be replicated in Balochistan to improve service delivery.
He lauded the operationalisation of Basic Health Units across the province and appreciated the Balochistan government under Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti for initiating and completing key health projects within a short period.
Bilawal said he had originally been scheduled to inaugurate 20 projects but formally launched 11 during this visit, with the remaining projects to be inaugurated after Eid during his next visit to Quetta.
Welcoming the launch of the Benazir Ambulance Service and the Peoples Air Ambulance Service, he said Balochistan urgently needed air evacuation facilities to ensure timely transfer of critically ill patients from remote areas.
He also praised the Quetta Trauma Centre as a 150-bed modern facility equipped with advanced systems, noting the dedication of medical staff serving in difficult conditions across the province, including professionals who had returned from abroad to serve locally.
Highlighting polio eradication efforts, Bilawal recalled that the first national anti-polio campaign was initiated under former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. He reiterated plans to establish a healthcare network similar to Sindh’s SICVD model in Balochistan through interprovincial cooperation.
He said strengthened provincial collaboration reflected the true spirit of the federation and vowed continued efforts to expand healthcare access. Bilawal added that despite challenges, sustained reform and collective effort would drive progress in Balochistan, while those opposing development through propaganda would be countered through performance and delivery.
Earlier, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari was briefed by the Balochistan chief minister regarding the province’s development projects. During the Quetta visit, PPP Secretary Information Shazia Mari also accompanied him.
