Nawaz Sharif Kidney Hospital in Swat will be made operational soon:Ishaq Dar

Lahore: Federal Finance Minister Ishaq Dar on Thursday stressed the need for operationalizing the Nawaz Sharif Kidney Hospital in Swat at the earliest to ensure better health services to the poor kidney patients of Swat and its catchment areas.

Chairing a meeting of Technical and Finance Committee of the project here at Model Town, Ishaq Dar said that all the quarters concerned must put in their best efforts to make the hospital operational as early as possible. The meeting conducted an in depth progress review of the project.

The Federal Minister said that state-of-the-art Nawaz Sharif Kidney Hospital was a splendid gift for the people of Swat and adjoining districts of Khyber Pukhtunkhwa.

Appreciating the work of all those involved in the project, he said that NSKH Swat is a welfare project and full transparency, quality and highest standards are being maintained in the execution of the project.

Ishaq Dar said that recruitments against various posts in the hospital must be done purely on merit and only those candidates having requisite professional experience and qualifications should be recruited. He directed that the hospital should have professional management structure so that the hospital delivers sustainable as well as top quality services to the people of the area.

Earlier, Punjab Health Secretary Jawad Rafique Malik apprised the meeting about the construction and purchase of the equipment for the project.

He said the construction and finishing of the hospital building had been completed, while, all relevant surgical and IT equipment had been installed at the project site. He added that all the remaining equipment and fixtures including medical gas supply compressor, hospital waste incinerator, steam generator, regulator were being procured and would be installed very soon.

He also briefed the meeting about progress on remaining minor civil works as well as matters pertaining to procurement of medicines.

On this occasion, the Finance Minister Ishaq Dar constituted a five-member sub-committee to ensure early recruitment/ placement of professional management leading to early operationalization of the hospital.

Economic Affairs Division Secretary Tariq Bajwa, Punjab Planning and Development (P&D) Chairman Jahanzeb Khan, Dr. Javed Asghar, NSKH Swat MS Dr. Ghulam Rehmani, the NSKH contractors, the ECSP (Engineering Consultancy Services Punjab Limited) representatives also attended the meeting.