KARACHI: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari inaugurated several state-of-the-art medical facilities at the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) Karachi including 120-bed Rashid Soorty Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, 110-bed Saif-ul-Islam Department of Neurology and Stroke Unit and a cutting-edge CyberKnife S7-FIM system, underscoring the province’s commitment to offering free and high-quality healthcare.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, he praised Sindh healthcare institutions, emphasizing that the best hospitals in Pakistan including the JPMC, the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD) and the National Institute of Child Health (NICH) were located in Sindh. He described these institutions as symbols of good governance and successful public-private partnerships, especially post the 18th Constitutional Amendment. “You often hear criticism about the Sindh government’s efforts, but actions speak louder than words,” he said and highlighted the NICVD as the world’s largest heart hospital offering free treatment, while the NICH provided free paediatric care.
He said the CyberKnife machine at the JPMC offered free cancer treatment that would cost thousands of dollars abroad. The Royal College of Radiology ranks the JPMC Cancer Treatment Department among the top 10 globally, a testament to the province’s healthcare advancements. He acknowledged the contributions of Sindh’s business community in partnering with the government to provide these free services. He contrasted Sindh’s focus on strengthening public healthcare with other provinces that prioritize private hospitals through health cards.
He said the expensive PET-CT scan for cancer diagnosis was available for free only in Sindh. Patients from 167 cities across Pakistan and 15 other countries benefit from JPMC services. He suggested to Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah that during the prime minister’s next visit to Karachi, he should be taken on a tour to JPMC, NICVD, and NICH and expressed his willingness to help establish similar hospitals in other provinces, particularly Punjab and Balochistan.
In addition, Bilawal participated in a signing ceremony between the Patients’ Aid Foundation and the Sindh government for the Radiation Oncology Section at the JPMC, attended by prominent figures including Murad Ali Shah, Health Minister Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho and others.
