Big hospitals planned in Peshawar, three other divisions

PESHAWAR: Chief Minister Mahmood Khan has directed the relevant officials to identify suitable lands for establishment of tertiary care hospitals in Hazara, Malakand and south regions of KP under Public-Private Partnership.

He said this while chairing a meeting on setting up such facilities in Hazra, Malakand and southern regions of the province, said an official handout.

Administrative secretaries of the Health, Finance and Planning and Development departments and other senior officials concerned attended the meeting.

The chief minister asked the officials to submit him final proposals to this effect within two weeks so that further progress could be made to this effect.

Mahmood Khan made it clear that land should be identified at such points which are equally accessible for all the districts and the relevant regions.

He added that the ultimate purpose of the establishment of new hospitals is to minimize the burden of patients on the teaching hospitals of Peshawar and to provide tertiary healthcare facilities to the people at the local level. It was decided in the meeting that the proposed hospitals would be established under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) for which land would be provided by the provincial government.

The meeting was informed that 580 Kanal land free from all encumbrance near Mansehra has been identified for the establishment of a new tertiary hospital in Hazara region.

The chief minister agreed to the identified site and said that it was equally accessible to the people of Kohistan and Battagram and other districts. He directed that suitable lands should also be identified for the establishment of new hospitals in Malakand and southern regions.

Meanwhile, it was also decided in the meeting to establish a new tertiary care hospital under Public-Private Partnership in the provincial capital on an already available piece of land.

Mahmood Khan directed the Health, P&D, Finance and other relevant departments to sit together and come up with a final and practicable action plan within a week so that work could be launched on the proposed hospital.