Aga Khan Health Service, Pakistan Transfers Operation of Civil Hospital Gupis to the Government of Gilgit Baltistan
Chitral Times Report
Gilgit – Aga Khan Health Service, Pakistan, announced, that following the early termination of its Public-Private Partnership agreement with the Department of Health (DoH) of Gilgit-Baltistan, the agency has transferred the operations of the Civil Hospital Gupis to the government.
The Public-Private Partnership agreement between the Government of Gilgit-Baltistan and Aga Khan Health Service, Pakistan was signed in 2012 to revitalise the Civil Hospital Gupis. Over the last 12 years, Aga Khan Health Service, Pakistan has invested Rs. 34 million in infrastructure, Rs. 28 million in equipment, and an additional Rs. 128 million from its core funding to cover the operational deficit for the hospital, retrofitting it with new equipment, and insulating the facility to help deliver comprehensive care. Since the inception of the Public-Private Partnership, the upgraded Civil Hospital Gupis has provided quality care through its outpatient, inpatient, and 24-hour emergency services, averaging over 200 admissions, 25 normal deliveries, and 1,500 outpatient visits per month.
Despite this success, the DoH issued a notice to Aga Khan Health Service, Pakistan on April 26, 2024 to terminate the agreement. Additional meetings were held in May at the request of Aga Khan Health Service, Pakistan to further assess the situation and attempt a resolution, however, in June the DoH established a committee to facilitate a takeover of the facility by the third week of June 2024.
“Over more than a decade, we have been an integral member of the Gupis-Yasin community and have provided care to over 200,000 people through the Hospital,” notes Nadeem Abbas, Chief Executive Officer, Aga Khan Health Service, Pakistan. “We hope to continue our positive relationship with the government, which is our most valued partner, to better serve the diverse communities living in Gilgit-Baltistan.”
As part of its transition plan, Aga Khan Health Service, Pakistan will carefully monitor for any gaps in health service delivery in the catchment areas of the Civil Hospital Gupis, and will develop a strategy to minimise these as much as possible. Aga Khan Health Service, Pakistan remains firmly committed to working with the DoH and the Government of Gilgit-Baltistan, and hopes to propose options to complement the government’s service delivery model to ensure the continuity of high-quality healthcare in the region.
