ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif directed the health ministry on Tuesday to overhaul the healthcare facilities that lie within domain of the federal government in a bid to make Islamabad a model for the whole country in providing healthcare services.

As per a PM Office press release, the PM said this while presiding a meeting to review the matters related to the Ministry of National Health Services Regulations and Coordination in the federal capital. He said the ruling administration gave priority to provide healthcare facilities to all in the country.

He asked the health ministry to expedite the work on the Jinnah Medical Complex and Research Centre and start the pre-qualification process for timely procuring the facility’s medical and surgical machinery and equipment.

“The pre-qualification process should be completed under the supervision of an expert consultant, besides conducting a third-party audit of the construction work and the procurement of machinery and equipment,” he said.

PM Shehbaz also directed to begin the process of approving the charter for the university associated with the Jinnah Medical Complex.

During the briefing on the healthcare facilities in Islamabad, it was told that the Jinnah Medical Complex had been established as a company under Section 42 of the Companies Act. The relevant steering committee has approved the master plan for the Jinnah Medical Complex.

The forum was told that the recruitment process for the Project Management Unit and Project Implementation Unit of Jinnah Medical Complex has been initiated.

The meeting was attended by Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal, Minister for Economic Affairs Ahad Khan Cheema, Minister for Law and Justice Azam Nazeer Tarar, Prime Minister’s Coordinator on National Health Dr Malik Mukhtar Ahmed, and other relevant senior government officials.

The medical complex’s groundbreaking ceremony was attended by PM Shehbaz in July 2024.

As per the Ministry of Information, spanning over about 800 kanals of land, the medical centre would comprise of modern state of the art medical facilities including treatment for the most complicated diseases of lungs, heart, kidney and cancer.

The premier had said it would not just be a state of the art medical facility in the entire region and would not only cater to the medical needs of the people of twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad as well as Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Kashmir and elsewhere.

He had said the Jinnah Medical Complex would consist of modern labs and nursing schools where our medical staff will engage in advanced training and research as well.

The prime minister had said poor people would get free treatment at the Jinnah Medical Complex.