ISLAMABAD: In an effort to enhance the government’s healthcare credentials, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday unveiled an ambitious charter for the proposed Jinnah Medical Complex (JMC), directing that the facility be developed in accordance with international standards of infrastructure, service delivery, and governance.
While chairing a review meeting on the project’s progress – which is set to be built in Islamabad – the prime minister emphasised that international benchmarks should serve as the baseline, not merely an aspiration.
He said the complex must emerge as a top-tier institution, offering specialised healthcare services to all provinces, including Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.
Jinnah Medical Complex: PM says will personally monitor construction
In a symbolic gesture promoting federal inclusivity, the prime minister ordered that various blocks of the facility be named after the provinces – a nod to the national unity.
Underscoring transparency and meritocracy, PM Sharif called for rigorous third-party validation of construction quality and recruitment processes. “There is no room for inefficiency or favouritism,” he declared.
Citing the Pakistan Kidney and Liver Institute (PKLI) as a model, he asserted that the Jinnah Medical Complex would surpass it – not only in scale, but also in standards.
“By the grace of Allah, PKLI has been a beacon of healing. Jinnah Medical Complex will go even further,” he said, adding that all services – from diagnostics to janitorial – would be outsourced strictly on merit.
Officials briefed the prime minister on land acquisition, board formation, and the proposal for a commercial centre adjacent to the hospital – indicating plans for a future healthcare hub.
Concept designs and land transfers, the meeting was told, are in the final stages, while geotechnical and social impact studies are under way.
The prime minister also called for an urgent plan to upgrade Islamabad’s primary and secondary healthcare network to relieve pressure on tertiary care facilities.
The meeting was attended by federal ministers Ahsan Iqbal, Ahad Cheema, Mustafa Kamal, the prime minister’s health coordinator Dr Mukhtar Bharath, PKLI Chairman Dr Saeed Akhtar, and other senior officials.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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