KARACHI - The provincial government has planned to establish a free of cost hospital for the treatment of cancer patients.
Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah made this announcement during budget speech for nine months of fiscal year 2018-19 on floor of the house. “The government of Sindh, in collaboration with Patients Aid Foundation (PAF) has also planned to establish Jinnah Institute for Cancer & Research Center (JIC&RC) at a total cost of Rs 6 billion. The first phase of this world-class project will have a 12-story tower with six new therapy units and 320 beds with the facilities to diagnose and treat all types of cancers free of cost under one roof,” said the CM. He added that the provincial government and PAF would share the expenditure equally as the government will provide Rs 3 billion and as many amount would be arranged by PAF for civil works. “I have also requested PAF to enlarge the scope of services of this cancer institute to other parts of the province on the successful pattern of National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD) satellite units,” said Murad
The CM was of the view that his government has taken ‘special initiatives’ for treatment of cancer patients and the establishment of a cancer hospital is one of them. Murad said that investment to provide better health care, especially to the poor is also on our priority list of PPP government. He informed that total allocation for health sector during fiscal year 2018-19 is Rs 114.724 billion as 102.224 billion on non-development side and Rs. 12.50 billion on development side. “As a result of our continued efforts, health service delivery has improved significantly in the province,” he claimed while vowing to focus on provision of missing facilities in hospitals especially at the Tehsil and district level.
17 HOSPITALS AND 41 EMERGENCY-CUM TRAUMA CENTRES
“The Government of Sindh is investing an amount of Rs 18.271 billion for upgradation, expansion and improvement of 17 District and Tehsil Headquarter Hospitals as well as construction of 41 emergency-cum trauma centres in the province through seven development schemes,” Murad added.
He said that It was planned that 17 District and Tehsil Headquarter Hospitals and 41 emergency-cum trauma centres would be completed and functionalised by June 30, 2019. “Work on DHQ hospitals Mithi, Kandhkot and Thatta would be expeditiously pursued. To cater the essential need of emergency cases, a trauma centre with emergency operation theatre, two wards and allied facilities would also be established at Naudero, Larkana,” the CM announced.
SECOND CYBER KNIFE ROBOTIC SURGERY UNIT BY DEC 2018
Murad reminded that the PPP government had already established a cyber knife robotic surgery unit at the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre under the public-private partnership mode with PAF and the same has been operating since 2012. The second cyber knife unit will be operational by December 2018 which will enhance the capacity from treatment of eight patients per day to 24 patients per day free of charge, he added.
ENHANCEMENT OF NICVD
Murad claimed that NICVD has become the world’s largest center for angioplasties and which is now providing expensive life saving devices (ICD and CRT) free of cost to poor patients in Karachi and other parts of the province. He informed that the provincial government had already established NICVD satellite centres at -Tando Muhammad Khan, Larkana, Hyderabad and Sehwan with modern and well equipped cardiac facilities. “The grant for NICVD has been enhanced from Rs. 5.76 billion to Rs. 8.87 billion for current financial year and very soon its three more satellite centers will be made operational at Nawabshah, Khairpur and Mithi,” the CM added.
JINNAH OPD AND SURGICAL COMPLEX
Murad informed the house that the government of Sindh is also constructing a ‘well equipped’ OPD and surgical complex at JPMC under PAF. “The building of the hospital is near completion. Inpatient and OPD sections will be completed by December 2018. Two floors of the OPD are already operational since May 2018. The estimated cost was Rs 1.4 billion out of which the government pledged to contribute around Rs. 1.1 billion in three years,” he added.
CENTRE FOR AUTISM REHABILITATION AND TRAINING
The CM said they had recently inaugurated Centre for Autism Rehabilitation and Training (C-ART) in Gulistan-e-Johar which was the ‘first and only one’ in Pakistan offering comprehensive programs, with specialized staff, for diagnosis of adolescent and adult individuals with autism. “This facility has 38 rooms with a capacity to accommodate approximately 300 patients. The rehabilitation interventions are integral part of our government for special children so that they become productive and functional citizens of Pakistan,” said Murad.
GRANT OF SIUT
The Sindh government is also providing Grant of Rs. 5.6 billion to Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation to sustain its services in Karachi and for its new initiatives in other cities.