‘New hospitals to be built under public-private partnership’

LAHORE :Punjab Minister for Specialised Healthcare & Medical Education Department Khawaja Salman Rafique has said the government is taking new initiative to provide best healthcare facilities to the people and for this purpose new hospitals under public-private partnership would be constructed in the province. The first hospital of such kind would be constructed in the Johar Town area.

“The construction of big hospitals through public-private partnership is a new concept in Pakistan; however, it is a successful model in other countries. In Turkey, $16 billion investment has been made in health sector under this mode,” he said while addressing a road show arranged by Punjab Health Initiative Management Company (PHIMC) at a local hotel to disseminate information and sensitise national as well as international firms and consortium interested in setting up the hospital under this mode in Lahore. 

Besides Secretary Specialised Healthcare & Medical Education Najam Ahmed Shah, Punjab Health Initiative Management Company Chief Executive Officer Zaheer Abbas Malik, KEMU VC Prof Qazi Saeed, principals and medical superintendents of medical colleges/hospitals, consultants and the representatives of different national and international firms attended the road show.

The minister said that during the last four to five years a number of new hospitals, specialised institutions and burn units have been constructed across the province and capacity of the existing hospitals have also been enhanced by adding new blocks.

He said revamping of all the DHQ hospitals is also being carried out. He said that construction of new hospitals under this mode would usher in revolution in the health sector in Pakistan.

Answering the different questions of the participants, Secretary Health Najam Ahmed Shah said all the queries and questions of the participants/stakeholders would be addressed and complete transparency would be ensured in this process. He said our target is to provide quality health services to the masses for which all the resources are being utilised.

Zaheer Abbas Malik said 40 kanal land at a prime location in Johar Town has been allocated for the construction of 500-bed hospital.

This hospital would be established on the BOT model (built, operate and transform) for which all the procedural requirements would be fulfilled and the interested firms/companies would be pre-qualified, he added.