KARACHI, Aug 20: The Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) will outsource its security set-up in order to make it more effective. This was stated by Prof Rashid Jooma, the executive director of the prime federal government-run hospital in the city, on Monday.

Talking to Dawn, Prof Jooma said that a proposal to enhance the security arrangements and improve the related affairs at the hospital was placed before a meeting chaired by Federal Health Secretary Khushnood Akhtar Lashari. The meeting was specially convened to review the situation after the killing of a student of the School of Physiotherapy, JPMC, on Aug 15.

The JPMC executive director said that the proposal had in principle been approved by the health secretary and now the hospital would forward the relevant project paper to the federal ministry for funding and other relevant action.

Estimating that the security augmentation project would cost around Rs65 million and would be completed over a period of two years, Prof Jooma said that the hospital would have a security system manned by over 200 persons, equipped with a closed-circuit television system, communication system for the personnel and weapons and vehicles including four wheelers and motorbikes.