ISLAMABAD: The Federal Ministry for National Health Services and Regulations to address the growing medical treatment requirements of the patients is constructing a 300-bed modern hospital in the federal capital which will be completed by September 2025.
The National Health Services and Regulations federal secretary said this here on Monday while briefing the Prime Minister’s Coordinator for National Health Services Dr Malik Mukhtar Ahmed during his visit to the construction site of Post Graduate Medical Institution II (PGMI-II).
The federal secretary, briefing the coordinator, said that the PGMI-II, a 300-bed hospital, is slated for completion by September 2025. Dr Ahmed reiterated the government’s unwavering commitment to expeditiously completing public welfare projects.
He said that such public welfare projects should be completed on time as the construction of the hospital would not only benefit the citizens of Islamabad and surrounding districts rather a large number of people from Punjab, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, and Gilgit-Baltistan would also benefit from the facility. At present, there are four public sector hospitals operating in Islamabad namely, Federal Government Hospital (FGH) Chak Shahzad, Capital Development Authority Hospital (CDA) G-6, Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), and Government Polyclinic Hospital G-6 along with a few dozen dispensaries. The Outdoor Patient Department (OPD) of PIMS daily caters to over 16,000 patients, on average around 6,000 patients visit the OPD of Polyclinic daily while CDA and FGH also deal with thousands of patients, therefore, the construction of more health facilities was imperative.
The coordinator was briefed that the hospital will provide facilities for diseases such as diabetes, blood pressure, maternity care, allergies, bone and joint problems, chest and heart diseases, and skin issues. The minister said that we are making progress in the short-term mission of reforms.
Progress in the health sector is not possible without reforms, he added. He pointed out that along with the growth of the population, diseases are also increasing, and resources are limited to tackle them. In this context, a revolutionary project has been initiated to reduce the burden on large hospitals, he added.
He said that the initiative would play a role in alleviating the burden on existing healthcare facilities in Islamabad. He directed the Infrastructure Development Authority of Punjab (IDAP) to strictly adhere to the construction schedule to ensure the timely completion of the PGMI-II project. He further instructed the contractor to incorporate provisions for the addition of more floors in the future to ensure that the hospital can adapt and expand in response to evolving healthcare demands.
Earlier, Dr Mukhtar Ahmed was briefed by Prof Dr Rizwan Taj, president Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) about the workings of the organisation. Dr Taj said that recently PMDC got accreditation from the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME) which is another cap in the regulatory body’s cap.
The coordinator directed PMDC to ensure the improvement of the standard of medical education and the welfare of Pakistani medical students pursuing education overseas. The accreditation has made Pakistani graduates eligible to pursue training and practice in other countries that require WFME recognition such as the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024
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