KARACHI: Karachi Mayor Barrister Murtaza Wahab Siddiqi on Sunday hinted at public-private partnership to make all municipal-run healthcare facilities operational, a move strongly opposed by opposition parties in the City Council.

The mayor expressed these views during his visit to the Karachi Institute of Heart Diseases (KIHD) where he was the chief guest at the opening ceremony of ‘KMC City Institute of Health Sciences’ for training of nurses.

“Public private partnership is crucial to run [government] institutions,” he said.

“It’s the public private partnership which can make all health and other institutions operational. Better health and treatment facility are basic rights of every Karachiite. We are giving our best to provide this right to every Karachiite.”

Earlier this month, the City Council session witnessed strong resistance from the opposition benches when the Pakistan Peoples’ Party member Juman Darwan presented a resolution in the house seeking public-private partnership to run the hospitals under the KMC.

Says efforts underway to restore 14 KMC-run health facilities

The council member, while justifying his resolution, said that the KMC was facing financial challenges and the number of hospitals it owned across the city were unable to offer desired services.

However, his arguments failed to convince the opposition. Advocate Saifuddin, parliamentary leader of Jamaat-i-Islami from the opposition on this occasion came up with a strong counterargument.

He said the proposed move would open ‘commercial avenue’ and deprive people of free treatment facilities, which was the core responsibility of the state and the local government system.

The resolution was deferred and Mayor Wahab, who was chairing the session, had vowed to take parliamentary leaders of the council on board while preparing the agenda for the meeting at least three days before the next session.

Meanwhile, while addressing the KMC nursing institute ceremony, Mayor Wahab said that the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation was putting every effort to restore 14 health facilities under its control and soon they would be offering the best services in the city.

“The Abbasi Shaheed Hospital is one just example,” he said. “We have restored the emergency unit of the hospital along with gynaecology and children’s wards. All these wards have not only been renovated, but also upgraded to provide standard and quality services.”

He said the nursing institute building was there at the KIHD, but it was lying abandoned.

“It was decided to initiate the KMC Nursing Institute and today dozens of Karachi students are now availing this facility.

“More than 100 students are enrolled here who after passing out and they would be able to get job opportunities even in other countries,” said Mayor Wahab.

“A nursing school at the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital is also non-operational for the past many years. We would also try to make that operational as well. It would add value to institution as well.”

Published in Dawn, April 1st, 2024