Chitral Times Report
PESHAWAR: Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Mahmood Khan while stressing the need for completion and operationalization of the Khyber Institute of Child Health (KICH) Peshawar without further delay, has decided to constitute a committee comprising the concerned quarters of health department for this purpose. The committe, in consultation with the senior paediatricians of the province, will finalise a workable strategy along with realistic timelines to completely operationalize the institute by the year 2023. The Committee will also suggest measures to operationalise some of the priority specialities in the institute in the short term. He was chairing a meeting to review progress on the completion KICH here the other day. The Chief Minister termed KICH as a very significant project in health sector and said that it would be made a centre of excellence in child health. He directed the high ups of health department to take necessary steps to constitute a separate Board of Governors for the institute so that all the institute could be run in a better and professional manner. It merits a mention here that presently the institution is working under the BoG of Hayatabad Medical Complex.
Provincial Health Minister Timur Saleem Jhagra, Labour Minister Shaukat Yousafzai, high ups of health department and senior doctors from the Pediatric Association of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, also attended the meeting. The participants of the meeting discussed in detail various matters to complete and functionalise the institute in the minimum possible time.. Senior doctors of the Paediatrics Association shared their expert opinion to functionalise some priority areas in the institute and making the institute a center of excellence in the future. Briefing the meeting about the progress on the under construction building of KICH and other related matters, it was informed that 85% construction work of the building has been completed in which some important and priority sectors can be operationalized at present. Regarding the importance and need of the institution, it was informed that at present there were about two thousand specialized beds child related diseases in the entire province while the actual need is many fold which necessitates the early completion and functionalization of KICH. It was further informed that the institute would not only provide standard facilities for the treatment of paediatric diseases in the province but also prepare trained doctors and other medical staff in this field as well as conduct research and collect authentic data regarding pediatric diseases.
Addressing the participants of the meeting, the Chief Minister termed the health sector as the top priority of his government and said that the present government was making huge spendingto strengthen the overall healthcare system in order to cater for the needs of ever increasing population. Mahmood Khan remarked that the recent launch of Health Card Plus Scheme to 100 per cent population of the province and completion of Peshawar Institute of Cardiology were significant achievements of the provincial government in health sector adding that completion and functionalization of KICH will yet be another milestone achievement of tge provincial government which be ensured by the year 2023. The Chief Minister directed the officials of the Health Department to take necessary steps to take up the issues related to funding of the scheme at federal level.
