Sindh Govt. Links International Hands for Major Health Projects

KARACHI- German and Chinese firms have jointly offered the Sindh government to finance and build three key health projects, including a 200-bed cancer hospital, a 200-bed hospital with the facility of organ transplantation and a 30-50 bed emergency centre on build-operate-transfer (BOT) model.

This offer was made in a joint meeting of the management of the firms, China Rainbow International Investment Company (CRIIC) and German group RETech, with Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah at CM House. The meeting was attended by Health Minister Dr Sikandar Mandhro, Agriculture and Home Minister Sohail Anwar Siyal, Livestock and Fisheries Minister Muhammad Ali Malkani, Principal Secretary to CM Sohail Rajput, Livestock Secretary Sohail Akbar Shah, Health Secretary Dr Fazlullah Pechuho, Agriculture Secretary Sajid Jamal Abro and other senior officers.

One of the projects for which the offer has been made is a state-of-the-art cancer hospital with a capacity of 200 beds and facility of proton therapy. The other project is a high-end hospital with 200 beds for organ transplantation. The third project is an emergency centre having 30 to 50 beds along with a trauma centre and the facility of air ambulance for which this would be the first project of its kind in Pakistan, if approved.

It has been proposed that these hospitals are established in those districts of Sindh where there are no major hospitals, such as Thatta, Ghotki, Dadu and Sujawal, so that their residents do not have to come to Karachi or Hyderabad in cases of major illnesses.  If these centres are approved and established, the government hospitals in big cities will be relieved as their number of patients will decrease.

Speaking at the meeting, the CM said he has declared an emergency in the province in the health and education sectors. “We have achieved some results in the health sector and are striving for more,” he said.

The CM directed the health department to have a meeting with the firms, discuss the projects and work out their modus operandi.