LAHORE: The project to establish state-of-the-art central pathological laboratories in Lahore and Multan to provide international standard diagnostic facilities to the patients will be completed within six months.

This was stated by Specialised Healthcare and Medical Education Department Secretary Najam Ahmad Shah on Friday while addressing a pre-bid conference arranged by the Punjab Health Initiative Management Company (PHIMC) in connection with outsourcing of clinical laboratories and pathologies services in Lahore and Multan.

More than 50 representatives from national as well as international firms and companies participated in the conference.

Setting up of central laboratories would be a game-changer initiative in the health sector and patients would get laboratory services of international standards.

Earlier, PHIMC Chief Executive Officer Zaheer Abbas Malik informed the participants that land had already been identified in the Jinnah Hospital in Lahore and near the Old Bus Terminal in Multan for the construction of central labs.

Mr Abbas said successful national or international company would equip and operate the central lab besides clinical laboratories and pathology services in tertiary care and specialised institutes or hospitals in Lahore and Multan.

He said the Specialised Healthcare and Medical Education Department would pay the operators of the laboratories according to the nature and number of tests at a fixed rate on a monthly basis.

The PHIMC ECO said 17 hospitals in Lahore and three in Multan would be managed under this project where most model central laboratories would provide diagnostic facilities to the patients free of cost.

Later, Najam Shah and Zaheer Abbas answered the queries raised by the participants.

Published in Dawn, December 23rd, 2017