HYDERABAD: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Friday inaugurated Mother and Child Health Centre in Liaquat University Hospital (LUH), Jamshoro branch, built with financial support of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to improve maternal and child healthcare.

Murad said at the inauguration ceremony that the healthcare facility was “a beacon of hope and a new dawn for maternal and child health” in the province.

He expressed gratitude to Japanese people and their government and remarked “this hospital is not just a building made of bricks and mortar but it is a statement of compassion, progress and our shared vision for healthier generations”.

He said that construction of the project began in July 2018 and completed under Annual Development Programme 2025–26 at a cost of Rs331million. It had added 128 beds to LUH, raising its total bed capacity to 856, and was equipped with modern equipment, providing staff training programmes and round-the-clock maternal and child health services, he said.

The facility has been established with Japan’s financial support

He said the centre would officially become operational next week, serving families across Hyderabad division and beyond. The centre would work under Sindh Institute of Child Health and Neonatology (SICHN), according to Executive Director SICHN Prof Jamal Raza.

The chief minister acknowledged Ambassador of Japan, Shoichi Okamoto and JICA for their consistent support of Sindh’s healthcare reforms, especially during challenging times, and called the project “a success story of international collaboration that will strengthen our system for generations.”

He highlighted the government’s broader healthcare strategy and announced establishment of four new Satellite Healthcare Centres in Shahdadpur, Qambar, Shahdadkot, Sujawal, and Mirpur Mathelo. These facilities would extend 24/7 maternal and neonatal care to underserved areas, ensuring that quality healthcare was accessible to all segments of society, he informed.

He emphasised the role of mobile health units and telemedicine in reaching remote communities, calling them “lifelines for families who were once hours away from care.”

Murad said that SICHN was a key achievement of the government. Since its inception, SICHN had expanded from Karachi into a province-wide network offering one of the world’s largest public neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) systems with over 262 incubators, he said.

He said the institute now treated over 500,000 children annually with 91pc survival rate and added infant mortality in Sindh had declined from 54 deaths per 1,000 live births to 29 which was a dramatic and verifiable improvement. “Every child in Sindh today is within a 30-minute reach of emergency care,” said the chief minister and noted that this was unthinkable just a few years ago.

He praised ChildLife Foundation for partnering with government to operate neonatal units in every taluka hospital and proudly remarked that SICHN rivalled private hospitals in terms of infrastructure and patient outcomes.

He highlighted other transformative steps in Sindh’s public health sector including liver transplants at Gambat Institute of Medical Sciences, kidney transplants in Sindh Institute of Urology Transplantation, and cancer treatment in Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre where each patient received treatment of $100,000 funded by Sindh government.

“These are not just hospitals,” said the CM. “They are promises fulfilled - lifelines for future generations.”

About challenges after the 18th Amendment, Murad came down hard on attempts made by federal government to reclaim certain health institutions. “Health is a provincial subject now,” he said and vowed to protect the institutions against all illegal acts.

He lauded health minister Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho for transforming healthcare system and reaffirmed the government’s commitment by saying that “birth of a child should always be a moment of hope, not fear. Our mission is to ensure no mother dies during childbirth and every child receives a healthy start in life they deserve”. The health minister reiterated the CM’s view “these are not just hospitals but lifelines for future generations. They are promises fulfilled”. The ambassador said the health facility was a gift from Japan to people of Hyderabad division.

Health Secretary Rehan Baloch and Executive Director SICHN Prof Jamal Raza also spoke at the ceremony.

Published in Dawn, July 26th, 2025