KARACHI, Oct 8: Federal health ministry is working on a proposal to establish Jinnah University of Medical Sciences after merging the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, National Institute of Child Health and National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases.

In this regard, a committee has also been formed. Prof Azhar Farooqui of NICVD, Prof Mashhoor Alam of JPMC, Prof Afroze Ramzan of NICH, N.A. Jaferi and Dr Khatri will be the committee members. The committee is doing ground work on the proposal and will submit its report to the ministry within two months.

This was stated by Federal Health Secretary Syed Anwar Mehmood while talking to journalists after inaugurating renovated Paediatric Cardiology Ward, renovated with an approximate cost of Rs800 million including civil works and procurement of equipment, at the NICVD on Saturday.

The ward, renovated by Inner-wheel Club of Karachi Metropolitan, has the capacity of 55 beds and its air-conditioning of has been done by the Cowasjee Foundation.

The secretary said that the government had increased health budget, and health ministry had also given approval for appointment of additional 736 nurses at the JPMC. The vacancies would be fulfilled in the current fiscal, he said.

Anwar Mehmood said the federal government fully conscious of the services rendered at the three of its main health facilities in Karachi had already raised the current year budgetary allocations for the JPMC by 42 per cent and for NICH by 50 per cent, while annual grant for the NICVD had risen by 33 per cent.

Appreciating the administration as well as professional capabilities of the NICVD Director Prof Azhar Masood Farooqui and commitment reflected by his team of doctors and other staffers, he said there was no dearth of financial support for government-run facilities, provided a sound proposals was forwarded for development projects.

The secretary announced that the federal government had arranged procurement of a 64-slide coronary angiography machine for the NICVD and the Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology, Rawalpindi. This is besides equipments worth Rs500 million being procured for the NICVD, following personal recommendation of the prime minister and proposal of which was before the Economic Coordination Committee, he said.

Project of four high-rise towers in the JPMC was also being given final shape, he said, and expressed hope that ground breaking ceremony would be held in November in this regard.

Appreciating NICVD services for the people of Pakistan, he said the institute was providing international standard treatment facilities. Heart diseases were becoming common in children and paediatrics ward was very much needed at the NICVD, he maintained.

Earlier, NICVD’s Executive Director Prof Azhar Farooqui apprised the audience about performance of the institute and facilities at the renovated paediatrics cardiology ward.

Referring to the growing incidence of heart diseases among people of all age groups, he said that cardiac ailments had emerged as the single most common killer disease and children were also increasingly witnessed to be inflicted with heart ailments.— PPI/APP