ISLAMABAD, June 6: Departmental Development Working Party (DDWP) of the health ministry approved seven projects under PSDP allocation at a cost of Rs230 million during a meeting held here on Wednesday.

These projects include construction of a female doctors’ hostel at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) at a cost of Rs39.356 million. The hostel will have 90 rooms for female doctors, kitchen, pantry, dining hall, TV/recreation hall and visitors’ room.

The DDWP also approved a project for construction of a nursing hostel at Pims at a cost of Rs38.156 million. Provision of a residential facility to nurses on the hospital premises would ensure their timely presence and improve efficiency.

To provide clean environment in the federal capital and surrounding areas and to prevent spread of infectious diseases, a department of hospital waste management will be established at Pims at a cost of Rs30.970 million.

The proposed department will provide education and training to the hospital staff, develop standard operating procedures and should be responsible for hospital waste disposal.

The facility will also be offered to public and private hospitals on the payment of nominal charges.

The committee also approved provision of a 1,000 KVA generating set at Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JMPC), Karachi. The project would cost Rs26.980 million.

The generator would cater to the requirements of the hospital during power breakdown.

To upgrade research and teaching facilities through equipping the laboratories with modern instruments of medical research, the DDWP approved purchase of equipment for department of pharmacology and therapeutics, BMSI, JPMC Karachi costing Rs16.050 million.

The meeting also approved upgradation and construction of School of Nursing attached with Federal Government Services Hospital (FGSH) Islamabad. The project would cost Rs39.927 million and would provide improved teaching facilities to trainee nurses and facilitate the nursing school in improving its academic mandate.

The DDWP also approved the construction of a female doctors’ hostel at FGSH at a cost of Rs39.199 million.

Most of the projects would be completed within a year. The DDWP meeting was presided over by Federal Health Secretary Khushnood Akhtar Lashari and attended by representatives of the Planning Commission and senior officials of the health ministry and its attached departments.