PESHAWAR: As an essential step to ensure access to quality healthcare services to the local communities in the far-flung regions of the province, the Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had decided to outsource the management of eight more secondary healthcare hospitals of the province through the Public-Private Partnership model initially for a period of five years.
These secondary care hospitals include District Headquarter (DHQ) Hospital Wana South Waziristan, DHQ Hospital Kohistan, Category-D Hospital Bazar Zakhakhel Khyber, Category-D Hospital Razmak North Waziristan, Category-D Hospital Alizai Kurrum, Category-D Hospital Pasht Bajaur, Category-D Hospital Mamund Bajaur and Category-D Hospital Nawagai Bajaur.
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In order to outsource the management of the aforesaid hospitals, a contract signing ceremony was held at Chief Minister House with Mahmood Khan, Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, as chief guest.
Provincial Minister for Health, Special Assistant to Chief Minister, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for Information Barrister, Tahir Orakzai, Secretary Health Department, Dr Niaz Muhammad, Director-General, Health Services, Managing Director Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Health Foundation and other high ups were also present on occasion.
The high ups of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Health Foundation, Health Department and Partner organizations formally signed agreements for outsourcing the management of aforesaid eight secondary healthcare hospitals and contract renewal of the management of two hospitals already outsourced, including DHQ Hospital Mashtimela Orakzai and Category-D Hospital Shulam South Waziristan. It is pertinent to mention that keeping in view the significant advancement of services delivery in the already outsourced health facilities. The government has decided to outsource healthcare management.
Through the Public-Private Partnership model, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government had already ensured the all-time availability of specialist doctors, nurses and paramedics in the healthcare units of far-flung areas providing quality healthcare services round the clock. Through the Public-Private Partnership, the newly outsourced healthcare units would also be operationalized 24/7, and all the facilities, including doctors, medical equipment, and medicines, would be available in these hospitals.
Talking on the occasion, the Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had termed the outsourcing of the management of these hospitals as another critical step to provide healthcare facilities to the local people at their doorsteps, adding that the step would be helpful to enhance the healthcare services in the hospitals as per the aspirations and needs of the general public. He expressed that this step would prove to be a milestone to improve the service delivery of these healthcare units up to the required level.
He articulated that the incumbent government was not only committed to providing quality healthcare services to people of far-flung areas at their doorsteps but was also taking result-oriented steps under a well-devised plan for the purpose.