KARACHI, Nov 23: The Sindh government has decided to offer buildings of inoperative schools and health units in the province to the private sector. A joint survey to ascertain the number of such buildings would be launched shortly.

This was revealed at a meeting held between a six-member World Bank Mission and the Sindh Government here on Friday. The meeting, which reviewed the implementation of provincial reforms programme, was presided over by minister for finance, planning & development Dr. Abdul Hafeez Shaikh and attended by secretaries of various government departments.

Health secretary Khalid Latif Chaudhry informed that buildings of such health units constructed in the areas where there is no population or any other health unit already exists, would be handed over to other government departments if they needed or offered to the private sector. It would be up to the private sector to use them for hospital or any other purpose, he added.

The Local Government Department has also been approached asking whether such buildings could be of their use or not for housing offices of district governments, he said.

Anwar Ahmed Zai, Additional Secretary of Education, also apprised the WB Mission that non-operating educational institutions in Sindh would be offered to the private sector. He said so far 1019 such schools have been made functional by the department through posting of teaching staff from other schools.—PPI