On a day when a Pakistani filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy’s documentary titled ‘Saving Face’ on an issue of Acid Burn Survivors, won the first Oscar Academy Award by a Pakistani, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani inaugurated eight functional units of ‘Prime Minister’s National Health Complex’, beginning a new era in healthcare at National Institute of Health (NIH).
The Prime Minister while inaugurating the public to public joint venture of ‘National Health Complex’ in the presence of parliamentarians, diplomats, armed forces officials, medical experts, academicians, scientists, media persons, a number of students of medical college, and officials of NIH said, “It was a dream project for me as we wanted to create for our people, an innovative model of health-care services and medical education where all facilities are within the reach of the masses.”
The premiere said the facilities under 8 functional units of the complex would be a milestone in upgraded healthcare standards.
Minister for Information Firdous Ashiq Awan, Adviser to Prime Minister on Finance Dr Abdul Hafeez Sheikh, Cabinet Secretary Nargis Sethi, chairperson BISP Farzana Raja, and leader of upper house Nayyar Bukhari were also present.
Gilani said he was pleased to note that the entire project was conceived and completed in the most innovative and remarkable manner pooling available resources without burdening national exchequer.“It is an un-paralleled achievement which has set high standards of excellence with humble resources,” the PM added.
“I have taken personal interest in following the progress of this project on a regular basis. Every time that I asked the Cabinet Secretary about its progress, I was impressed that it was moving at lightning speed against all odds,” Gilani said while acknowledging the untiring services of Cabinet and Defence Secretary, Nargis Sethi- a brainchild behind the project .
PM said Health and Education are the two sectors closest to his heart. “During my tenure as Prime Minister I have always encouraged and supported innovative and progressive initiatives in these two sectors. I believe that resources for health and education are not expenditure but an investment in the future of a nation,” he maintained.
Talking about the facilities and functioning, Gilnai said the complex is reflective of a holistic approach to integrated health-care where academic, diagnostic, curative, preventive, educational and emergency response services converge. “After the 18th amendment in the constitution the Federal Government is responsible for providing health and education services in the Federal Areas only whereas it is the complete responsibility of the provinces to provide health and education to the people. By showcasing this model in Islamabad a key objective was to encourage the provinces to emulate and establish such facilities for the people, where one-stop solutions are provided. The complex houses the most modern facilities in health-care which are second to none in terms of national and international standing,” he explained.
Talking about medical education in the country, the prime minister said “The need for a public sector medical college in this part was increasingly being felt as the pressure on existing medical institutions in the country is immense with a growing number of aspirants looking for a career in this noble profession and the existing facilities being either below standards, non-existent or too expensive,” he said.
Reiterating that the Government holds health as a top most priority, the PM said access to quality health services is an inherent right of every citizen and our government’s efforts are directed at ensuring that we take the services to the poorest of the poor and the marginalised affordably. “Pakistan People’s Party is committed to providing health and education facilities to the masses through initiatives and projects that are poor-friendly,” he added.
Addressing on the occasion, Nargis Sethi said, “This state of the art complex has materialized within the existing resources and available infrastructure without additional burden on the national exchequer,” Sethi said with pride adding the execution of the project has been done in 90 days.
On the occasion a video presentation of construction of the complex and functioning of all eight health units were screened. The state-of-the-art NHC comprises eight functional units encompassing disease surveillance and control, vaccine production, environmental health, education and development of skilled health professionals, promotion of scientific research and health emergency management.
The NHC consists of seven facilities namely, the Federal Medical and Dental College (FMDC), which will be the first public sector medical college of its kind in Islamabad; a 200-bed Federal General Hospital, which will also serve as an attached hospital for FMDC; an upgraded Centre for Allergy and OPD, where reliable diagnostic and curative services for allergies will be provided; a Public Health Information Resource Centre, which will fulfill the long-unmet need for access to latest knowledge in the domains of medical research and scientific information; the National Control Laboratory for Biologicals (NCLB), which will be responsible for evaluation of the manufacturing and quality control of vaccines; the National Health Emergency Response Network (NHEPRN), which manifests institutionalisation of the concept of health emergency preparedness and response; the Federal Drugs Surveillance Laboratory (FDSL), which has been upgraded to promote medical research and development; and lastly, a girls hostel for students of FMDC.
Moreover, the road leading to the complex has been carpeted and widened, and a main gate constructed. All wild bushes in the jungle-like vicinity have been weeded.
