ISLAMABAD, Jan 23: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz has called for world-class medical facilities in all four provinces. He was speaking on Thursday at the groundbreaking ceremony of the first of the two elitist medical towers being built in the country.

The tower is being constructed at a cost of over Rs2 billion in the premises of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences and will house a 500-bed hospital catering to the affluent.

The 14-storey tower will house an emergency ward, operation theatres, private rooms, the VIP floors, presidential suites, consultation rooms, diagnostic centre and a small general ward.

Another similar tower is planned inside the premises of Jinnah Post-Graduate Medical Centre (JPMC), Karachi, which will house a 13-storey building at a cost of Rs3.418 billion.

This state-of-the-art plan is the idea of Prime Minister and is out of sync with the existing health services where majority of the population has no access to primary healthcare, emergency obstetrical care or emergency services.

About 25 per cent of the population lives below poverty line and almost 74 per cent on $2 a day. The government itself spends some one per cent of its GDP on health. The prime minister is of the opinion that these towers would be a gigantic step forward in healthcare to catch up with the rest of the world.

Medical towers show our determination to enhance, expand and improve health facilities, he told the gathering adding: The towers would be a manifestation of the country’s excellence in medical care, diagnostics services and the use of technology.

Shuakat Aziz said the Islamabad tower alone will create some 2,000 jobs and asked the health ministry to ensure a fair share for womenfolk. He praised the contribution of private sector in the provision of health services and laid emphasis on encouraging it.

He appreciated Imran Khan, Chief of Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaaf for running a cancer hospital in Lahore. The hospital is doing a great service and is fulfilling a major need of the country, he added.

He highlighted weaker links in medical system – shortage of paramedics and nurses and directed health ministry to launch a crash programme for overcoming shortage on war-footings. The resource availability for expenditure on health has improved due to the pursuance of one set of policies, he added.

Federal minister for health Nasir Khan said once the tower was functional it will provide medical facilities which previously were non-existent.