Improving healthcare: Kidney institute to start functioning next year, says Salman

MULTAN:

The Multan Institute of Kidney Diseases (MIKD) will be fully functional by January, 2016, Adviser to CM on Health Khawaja Salman Rafique said on Saturday.

He was addressing a meeting at the institute. “Kidney patients from Multan and nearby areas will no longer have to travel to Lahore or other cities to receive treatment. The hospital will have kidney transplant, urology, nephrology and ICU facilities,” he said.

He said that the hospital would be managed by a trust, but it will be funded by the government. “Doctors and other staff from the Health Department will be allowed to work in the institute on deputation,” he said.

He said 75 per cent of the machinery had been installed at the hospital. “The government has made a Rs233 million allocation to purchase the remaining machinery,” he said.

He said that Rs390 million had been spent on the construction of the building of the MIKD. “Rs650 million has been spent on purchasing machinery. More than 40 dialysis machines will be installed at the hospital,” he said.

Rafique said that seven professors, seven associate professors, three consultants, 15 assistant professors and 88 medical officers would be posted at the hospital. “We will also hire Pakistani doctors working abroad at the institute,” he said.

“Experts from Singapore will visit the hospital and give their opinion on the design of this hospital,” the adviser to the chief minister said.

Health Secretary Jawad Rafique Malik, Liver and Kidney Transplant Centre Lahore Chairman Prof Dr Saeed Akhtar, Multan Division Commissionaire Capt (r) Asadullah Khan, Multan DCO Zahid Saleem Gondal and Nishtar Medical College Principal Prof Dr Kamran Salik were present at the meeting.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 9^th, 2015.