New study to evaluate Sindh’s public health system

Faculty at the Agha Khan University’s School of Nursing and Midwifery (SONAM), Pakistan, are set to begin a research study into the quality and affordability of healthcare in Sindh’s government hospitals.

The study will evaluate the performance of the public sector hospitals operating across three districts of the province (Larkana, Hyderabad and Mirpurkhas) under the Sindh People’s Health Program (SPHP), three-year collaboration between the private-sector Poverty Eradication Initiative (PEI) and the Sindh government, a press release said.

The SPHP seeks to strengthen the public healthcare system across Sindh by improving access to over 2,300 types of medical and surgical supplies at 200 hospitals and healthcare centres in the province. The initiative aims to reduce the incidence of infections (often caused by the re-use of medical equipment) and to lower the out-of-pocket costs borne by needy patients.

An MoU was signed between the school and the PEI that will see researchers launch a five-month study into how well medical supplies are being supplied and utilised as well as their role in controlling infection rates.

“All our efforts are directed towards the welfare of underprivileged communities in the province,” said Syed Gohar Ali Shah, PEI’s general manager, operations.

“We aim to standardise healthcare services in public hospitals and align them with international best practices. We are delighted to be working with AKU’s School of Nursing and Midwifery to assess and measure the success of our SPHP initiative to ensure the provision of quality care at all government facilities.” Speaking after the signing of the MoU, SONAM Dean Dr David Arthur spoke of the school’s involvement in research that raises standards of patient care and promotes universal health coverage.