Capital to become model health city: Kiani

Minister says improving health indicators topmost priority of govt

ISLAMABAD: Minister for National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination Aamer Mehmood Kiani on Friday said that the federal capital would be made a model health city having modern medical facilities and skilled health professionals.

He stated this while addressing a symposium on transforming health care, organised by Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims).

Kiani said that the ministry had started restructuring of different health facilities and institutions to improve healthcare delivery system adding that with upgrading infrastructure visible improvements were made in public hospitals.

He said the new government had stressed upon improving the healthcare system and improving health indicators was its topmost priority. “The ministry is striving to increase the health budget for next fiscal year making it two per cent of GDP,” Kiani said.



Several mega projects had been initiated in health sector in the federal capital worth billions of rupees to provide best medical care to people, he said.

Four new hospitals were being established in Islamabad to reduce the patients' burden on existing hospitals.

The government has planned to construct a 200-bed hospital in the federal capital with support of the Saudi government.

Islamabad General Hospital at Tarlai would be established, he added. He said that project located at Tramari Chowk, would help in decreasing the load of patients on Pims and Federal Government Poly Clinic hospital.

Upgrading of basic health units and dispensaries was in progress to ensure provision of best medical cover to the citizens of federal capital.

He pointed out that the government was going to start health insurance programme in the country and it would distribute 25 million health insurance cards to the poor.

Kiani said the present government had shown keen interest in health infrastructure development and bringing positive change in the provision of improved health care delivery system for the people particularly living in the rural areas.

He explained that the government's new reforms in health sector were under way in each department of his ministry to improve healthcare facilities.

Kiani mentioned that ministry had suggested new taxes on tobacco, which would be utilised on health of people.

Pims Executive Director Dr Amjad Mehmood said the symposium  would serve as an opportunity to highlight the recent improvements made in the hospital to transform the standard of healthcare services provided to the patients in this iconic Institute.

He added that Pims would continue to provide service to a large number of patients from all over the country and despite limited resources there were many achievements to its credit.

He said that apart from providing medical facilities to the residents of Rawalpindi, Islamabad and surrounding areas, Pims had become the country's major hospital for providing specialised diagnostic and curative services to the patients referred by hospitals and institution throughout the country.



He said that steps were being taken to make the hospital a centre of excellence and a model of medical education and research.

He added several new projects had been initiated for up-gradation of the hospital.

Earlier President Dr  Arif Alvi Friday said the provision of health facilities to the masses and protecting them from various diseases was the responsibility of state.

Addressing the session of the health symposium he said there was a need to create awareness about prevention from various diseases and timely diagnosis.

Preventive measures could help save huge amounts spent on healthcare services, he said, adding in addition to treatment, compassionate behaviour could also help bring good results in the cure of patients.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 8^th, 2018.