The federal government has planned to run Karachi’s three major hospitals through a board of governors, which would comprise representatives from the civil society, the pharmaceutical industry and philanthropists to ensure service delivery and transparency on the pattern of Lahore’s Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Karachi’s Aga Khan University Hospital.
The Centre recently acquired control of Karachi’s Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC), National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD) and National Institute of Child Health (NICH) after the Supreme Court rejected the Sindh government’s appeal to let these institutions continue functioning under the province’s control in accordance with the 18th constitutional amendment.
According to the initial plan, a board of governors will be constituted to oversee the functioning, performance and transparency of the JPMC, the NICVD and the NICH, while Sindh Governor Imran Ismail will monitor the affairs of these facilities on a regular basis.
The role of the private sector, especially NGOs, will be enhanced, while hospital management experts from private institutions as well as from overseas will be hired, officials have hinted, saying that the federal authorities may approach Karachi’s industrialists and philanthropists to finance the services and facilities at these hospitals.
“Prime Minister Imran Khan is very keen on running the JPMC, the NICVD and the NICH on the pattern of the Shaukat Khanum and Aga Khan hospitals,” Federal Minister for National Health Services, Regulations & Coordination Aamir Mehmood Kiani told a delegation of pharmaceutical industry representatives on Saturday.
“The federal government is planning on constituting a board of governors comprising representatives from the civil society in Karachi, local philanthropists and nominees from the pharmaceutical industry to oversee these hospitals’ performance.”
Kiani and President Arif Alvi arrived in Karachi on Friday and held back-to-back meetings at the Governor House with the JPMC’s Dr Seemin Jamali, the NICVD’s Prof Nadeem Qamar and the NICH’s Prof Jamal Raza, as well as Jinnah Sindh Medical University Vice-Chancellor Prof Tariq Rafiq, seeking details of the city’s three major hospitals.
Talking to the pharmaceutical industry representatives, Kiani said the Centre is ready to provide around Rs13 billion to run the JPMC, the NICVD and the NICH, but they will not be governed in the same manner as they are being run currently.
He sought representation of the Pakistan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (PPMA) in the board of governors as well as donations in the form of medicines, saying that the pharmaceutical industry can help patients avail world-class health care at these hospitals.
PPMA Chairman Zahid Saeed said: “We told President Alvi and Kiani that we are already doing a lot for not only these hospitals but also many other public and private hospitals in the country.”
Kiani and Governor Ismail also visited the JPMC on Saturday. During their visit to different wards and departments, patients complained that private hospitals mint money from patients, and when they run out of money, they are referred to the JPMC and other public hospitals.
Talking to the media on the occasion, Ismail said the Sindh government has not sought control of the three hospitals from the Centre in writing, adding that the provincial administration already has many hospitals and should concentrate on running them effectively.
