ISLAMABAD: Federal Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal on Tuesday informed a parliamentary committee that a public-private partnership model is on the cards to decrease patient load on public sector hospitals.

The minister stated that he has identified a “viable solution” to address the growing pressure on public healthcare facilities.

He claimed that the public-private partnership model, involving the private sector, will operate on a non-profit basis.

“Work on this initiative is expected to commence within the next 15 to 20 days. A Jinnah Medical Complex is being established in Islamabad, which will also be one of the largest medical research centres in the region and will further address the patient load,” he said.

The meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on National Health Services was chaired by Senator Amir Waliuddin Chishti and attended by Senators Syed Masroor Ahsan, Irfanul Haque Siddique, Fawzia Arshad, Jan Muhammad, Haji Hidayatullah, Syed Mustafa Kamal and senior officials from the ministry and relevant departments.

Mustafa Kamal informed the committee that the city was served by two major hospitals and thirty Basic Health Units (BHUs). However, he stated that these facilities were experiencing significant strain, with nearly 70 per cent of the population relying on them for medical care.

He also noted that many individuals—even those suffering from common ailments such as headaches—were visiting these hospitals despite being able to afford private healthcare, further exacerbating the burden on public health institutions.

Meanwhile, he revealed that patients from Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) also came to Islamabad for treatment at these hospitals.

The hospitals, which can accommodate approximately 3,000 patients, were now serving up to 30,000 patients, placing immense pressure on their resources and services.

During the discussion, the committee chairman inquired about the underutilised hospital buildings constructed during the Covid-19 pandemic with a 266-bed capacity.

He questioned why such existing infrastructure was not being effectively utilised.

The minister stated that steps were being taken to bring those buildings into operational use. He also shared that several extensions of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) were currently under development across different areas of Islamabad, many of which were nearing completion.

Subsequently, the chairman recommended the establishment of an additional hospital in Islamabad, noting that despite the city’s population having grown to approximately 2.6 to 2.7 million, it continued to be served by only two major public hospitals.

He emphasised the urgent need to expand the healthcare infrastructure in line with the city’s growing population demands.

The committee raised concerns regarding alleged corruption and mismanagement in the Pakistan Nursing Council (PNC). During the discussion, the federal health minister criticised the PNC, describing it as a “mafia-like” entity.

He stated that while he held certain verbal authority over the institution, he lacked the formal, written powers required to implement substantial reforms. He added that the institution had been severely mismanaged and had suffered extensive damage due to internal dysfunction.

Senator Syed Masroor Ahmed expressed serious concern about the dire condition of the Polyclinic Hospital and emphasised the need for immediate attention and improvement.

He shared his personal observations during a visit, where he witnessed substandard conditions and expressed concern over the inadequate state of healthcare services. Furthermore, he pointed out that patients were advised to obtain prescribed medications from private pharmacies.

Published in Dawn, May 28th, 2025