ISLAMABAD - The officials of the Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation (PBC) have undertaken 49 official overseas visits during three years as part of the media team of the President and the Prime Minister.The astronomical expenditure amounting to approximately Rs 9.4 million incurred on the airfare and daily allowances paid to the officials of PBC who accompanied the president and the premier to cover their activities abroad for state-run radio during the period from March 2008 to February 2011. The daily allowances paid to the visiting officials by PBC cost $57474.14 (approximately Rs5,172,672) to the national kitty, while another Rs4207267 were spent under the head of airfare to transport the officials to their destinies.Minister for Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan on Tuesday shared these details with the Senate while answering a question raised by the Senator Tahir Mashhadi of MQM. "It is mandatory to cover the affairs of the head of the state abroad for national media. The PBC officials travelled abroad to fulfil their official responsibilities," the minister added when she was asked if some visible improvement in the work of officials occurred after these visits.Out of 49 visits abroad, the officials of PBC accompanied the President on 31 trips, while they travelled abroad on nine occasions to cover the Prime Minister, as part of their media team.During the same period, DG PBC Ghulam Murtaza Solangi flew 13 times to different countries to accompany President Asif Ali Zardari as part of his media team and to attend several conferences/seminars abroad.The countries visited include Switzerland, Belgium, France, UK, China, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, USA, Sri Lanka, UAE, Turkey, Afghanistan, Netherlands, Mongolia, Uzbekistan, France, Russia, Japan, Turkmenistan, Kuwait, India, Vietnam, India and Jordan.To another question, the minister informed the House that during the fiscal year 2009-10 and 2010-11 Rs359.132 and Rs354.746 million respectively were paid against the medical bills of the employees of PTV.Firdous Ashiq said that PTV had around 4600 regular employees across the country besides 600 pensioners. She said all the employees and pensioners and their dependents were entitled to unlimited medical facilities under recruitment policy.