Corona expenses open to forensic audit: minister.

LAHORE -- Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid has rejected reports claiming Rs900 million expenses on the setting up of the Lahore Expo Centre field hospital to treat Covid-19 patients.

The minister also pledged to conduct forensic audit of the funds being spent in the wake of the pandemic in Punjab.

'I think the video circulating in the social media is not based on facts. The amount in question is actually meant for emergency situation if the field hospital needs to be converted into a complete hospital having facility of ventilators at all beds and other medical equipment as available in teaching hospitals of Lahore and elsewhere,' the minister told reporters at a press conference on Thursday.

Giving details of the funds being utilised to contain the pandemic, patients treatment, arrangements etc, she said the department had issued an initial cheque of Rs70m to the Lahore District Administration for establishing the field hospital in Expo to handle patients having mild symptoms. She said the patients having severe symptoms were required to be sent to the Mayo and PKLI hospitals.

She said the Lahore Admin had spent Rs20 million so far on providing beds, partition and some other...