KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Wednesday presented a 171-page report detailing his government’s achievements from March 2024 to March 2025, saying that the provincial government has achieved remarkable progress over the past year through digital transformation, infrastructure development and agricultural advancements.
He added that these initiatives have significantly impacted public services, business facilitation and socio-economic growth. The presentation held at the CM House highlighted key initiatives in health care, education, IT, water management, agriculture, and governance reforms, including the implementation of e-systems.
Sindh’s healthcare sector has witnessed significant progress and expansion over the past year, marked by groundbreaking initiatives, increased patient access, and technological advancements across numerous medical institutions.
Health care
The National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD), Karachi, reported treating a staggering 1.4 million patients, performing over 5,000 cardiac interventions and surgeries, and conducting tens of thousands of diagnostic and imaging services. The NICVD also expanded its free paediatric cardiac services to Quetta, demonstrating its commitment to reaching underserved populations.
The Sindh Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (SICVD) has also made strides, establishing a cardiac emergency centre in Baldia Town, and launching a stroke programme in Sukkur. Notably, the SICVD has treated over 119,000 patients from outside Sindh, highlighting its regional importance.
The Institute of Medical Science, Gambat, continues to excel in organ transplant, completing over 200 liver transplants and 100 kidney transplants. The institute has also embraced advanced technology, launching a robotic cath lab, and joint replacement facilities.
Significant capacity enhancements were seen across the province. The Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) operationalised a second robotic surgical system, while the Liaquat University of Medical & Health Sciences is in the process of procuring one.
The District Hospital Thatta was upgraded to a teaching hospital, and a 100-bed hospital in PIB Colony, Karachi, is set to become operational. The Indus Hospital in Karachi is also undergoing a major expansion, receiving a Rs5 billion grant to increase its bed capacity.
The Dow University of Health Sciences has operationalised a linear accelerator for cancer treatment, and reported significant numbers of liver, renal and bone marrow transplants. The Sindh Institute of Urology & Transplantation has launched Pakistan’s first robotic centre and PET CT unit, significantly enhancing cancer diagnostics and treatment capabilities. The Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Institute of Trauma has expanded its services, treating 70,000 patients and establishing new units for thoracic surgery, interventional radiology and plastic surgery. Trauma and emergency response centres have also been established in Larkana.
The Sindh Institute of Advanced Endoscopy & Gastroenterology introduced advanced procedures like radio frequency ablation for liver tumours, while the Sindh Institute of Child Health & Neonatology operationalised new ICUs and paediatric units across Sindh. The JPMC received a new CyberKnife for cancer therapy, and signed an agreement for operational autonomy of its radiation oncology section. The Sindh Integrated Emergency Health Services expanded its ambulance services, and launched a hypertension project, with plans to add more emergency response vehicles.
The Sindh Emergency Rescue Service 1122 refurbished emergency rooms in various district hospitals, and established satellite stations on major highways for improved rescue coverage. The ChildLife Foundation has transformed paediatric emergency care in Sindh.
“We have transformed paediatric emergency care in Sindh by establishing nine international-standard emergency centres and 106 telemedicine centres, significantly reducing the infant mortality rate in Sindh to 2.9 per cent, compared to 5.4 per cent nationwide.” said Shah.
Quoting global health reports, he said Sindh’s public paediatric emergency facilities now match or surpass private hospitals in quality, with Sheikh Zayed Children’s Hospital, Larkana, and Dr Ruth KM Pfau Civil Hospital Karachi achieving a 1.2 per cent mortality rate, better than the 1.4 per cent at the Aga Khan University Hospital and far below the 6.3 per cent average in 19 similar countries.
Education, IT development
In a bid to promote digital literacy, the Peoples Information Technology Programme awarded scholarships to 13,428 students in three universities. Of these, 1,171 students have completed their education, and 2,528 have secured jobs. Additionally, an IT boot camp trained 1,500 graduates, with 870 successfully becoming self-employed.
The government has also launched a major IT training initiative, training 3,000 university students and 200 teachers in Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur, Larkana, Khairpur and Shaheed Benazirabad.
Irrigation, water conservation
To improve water management, the Sindh Irrigation Department has established a Hydroinformatics Centre, enabling data-driven decision-making. Additionally, 251km of watercourses have been lined to prevent water wastage, and enhance agricultural irrigation.
Housing, digital governance
The Sindh Peoples Housing for Flood Affectees remains a flagship initiative. A new beneficiary portal has been launched, allowing flood-affected individuals to check their housing status using their CNIC number. In another digital leap, a drone-based rural infrastructure mapping project is under way to identify underdeveloped areas and plan future projects.
Transport, excise dept digitisation
The excise & taxation department has introduced an online vehicle tax system, enabling motor vehicle tax payments, biometric verifications, and digital vehicle registrations and transfers.
A new premium vehicle registration number plate system has also been introduced, generating Rs640 million, which has been used to construct 2,100 houses for flood victims.
Agriculture, food security
Efforts to modernise the agriculture sector include the distribution of 219 tube wells and 434 agricultural tools to farmers. Additionally, 100 solar-powered tube wells and a solarised cold storage unit have been installed. To empower rural women, 900 women were provided with kitchen gardening kits, promoting self-sufficiency in food production.
Law & order
The Sindh police have taken significant steps to modernise law enforcement, introducing the S4 system with facial recognition cameras at 42 toll plazas to track criminals. Police records have also been fully digitised, streamlining operations such as licence issuance and criminal database management.
The Sindh Police Highway Patrol has deployed a fleet of 100 vehicles, and allocated a workforce of 2,000 personnel, along with the digitisation of police records.
In the last three months, over 100,000 driving licences have been issued online and delivered to citizens. This marks the first time in Pakistan that a separate budget of Rs6 billion has been allocated specifically for station house officers and station investigation officers. Additionally, a dedicated 1715 helpline has been set up for advanced complaint management, and e-tagging has been implemented for 4,000 repeat offenders.
Infrastructure, road development
Infrastructure development has been a key focus, with the government completing 196 new roads and repairing 120 flood-damaged roads, covering a total of 2,500km. Projects such as Hyderabad-Mirpurkhas Road, Sanghar-Umerkot Road and Tharparkar-Alibandar Road have been completed with a total investment of Rs53.5 billion.
Energy, solar initiatives
Under the vision of Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the Sindh government has launched an initiative to solarise schools, hospitals and public buildings across Sindh.
Challenges, future plans
Looking ahead, Shah warned of a potential wheat shortage in October-November due to lower than expected production. However, the government has assured that 1.3 million tonnes of wheat is currently in reserve.
Further plans include expanding digital services, improving business regulations, and launching online permits to attract investment and enhance the ease of doing business in the province.
The Sindh government reiterated its commitment to technological advancement, infrastructure development and economic growth, following the vision of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Begum Nusrat Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto.
Hari Cards
The issuance of Hari Cards empowered farmers with access to subsidised machinery, water conservation technologies, interest-free loans, and disaster relief, resulting in Rs10.11 billion disbursed to over 168,000 farmers post-2022 floods.
PITP
Launched in September 2024, the Peoples Information Technology Programme (PITP) has seen 11,071 graduates, with 2,528 securing jobs. The Sindh government allocated Rs500 million to support students in various divisions of the province.
BB Scholarship
An endowment of Rs100 million under the Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Scholarship programme aims to empower 10 female scholars annually from Sindh for higher education.
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