Punjab to revamp K-P’s secondary-care hospitals

PESHAWAR:

The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and the Infrastructure Development Authority, Punjab (IDAP) on Friday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to revamp secondary care hospitals in K-P.

The MoU signing ceremony was held in the Civil Secretariat and was attended by Provincial Health Minister Taimur Salim Jhagra as the chief guest. Health Secretary Imtiaz Hussain Shah, secretary for planning and representatives of IDAP were also in attendance.

Jhagra, who also has the finance portfolio, said that the project to revamp secondary care hospitals was approved by both K-P and Punjab cabinets and would be completed with an estimated cost of Rs15 billion in two years.

“The project will prove to be a game-changer for further improving the health delivery system in secondary care hospitals,” he said, adding that 32 district headquarters hospitals of settled and merged areas would be revamped under the project.

Naseer Ullah Babar Hospital, Moulvi Ameer Shah Hospital and DHQ hospitals of Charsadda, Karak, Abbottabad and Haripur would be revamped in the first phase of the project, he added.

The provincial health minister said: “The government is tirelessly working to revolutionise the existing healthcare system and further improve the standard of facilities in hospitals.” The government also desired to run dysfunctional hospitals of far-flung areas under public-private partnership, he added.

Jhagra was of the view that health authorities were also monitoring the working of health facilities in the province and online meetings were being regularly held to enhance operational management of healthcare facilities.

Highlighting the performance of government, he said that the budget of medical teaching institutions has been increased by 35 per cent and efforts are under way to improve existing health facilities.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 31^st, 2021.