Islamabad : The first-ever public-private partnership for conducting cochlear implant surgeries of hearing-impaired children coming from poorest of the poor segments of society was formalized Tuesday through separate accords signed between the Pakistan Bait-ul-Mal (PBM) and four private hospitals here at the PBM Head Office.
PBM’s Medical Director Dr. Javed Iqbal and representatives of Bahria Hospital, Indus Hospital, Karachi, Mukhtar A Shekih Hospital, Multan, and National Hospital and Medical Centre, Lahore, inked the MoUs on behalf of their respective hospitals.
A cochlear implant costs Rs 1.5 million plus. According to the agreement, PBM will pay Rs. 1 million for each cochlear implant surgery while the remaining Rs. 500,000 plus will be paid by the respective hospitals.
Speaking on the occasion, PBM’s Deputy Managing Mobashir Hasan highlighted the passion of PBM’s Managing Director Aon Abbas Buppi for providing cochlear implants to deserving children. “PBM Initiated this task in October 2019 and up to now, 12 children have been benefitted with generous involvement of philanthropists. PBM is addressing multifarious issues associated with poverty eradication,” he stated
Dr. Javed Iqbal said, PBM has made the whole process transparent and any deserving person can apply for cochlear implant surgery online. So far, 534 families have applied. Their surgeries will be conducted within the next six months on first-come first-served basis.