KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, while presiding over a cabinet meeting, approved USD15 million grant for the New JPMC Emergency Tower, the establishment of a community health company, the creation of a Sindh government cloud, the setup of 14 anti-narcotic courts and a Centre for Excellence for countering violent extremism. The cabinet also adopted austerity measures, allowed the purchase of a heritage building for the IT Tower, and extended the validity of the screening test until June 2028.
The meeting, held at CM House, was attended by provincial ministers, advisors, special assistants, Chief Secretary Asif Hyder Shah, and concerned secretaries and other officers.
The cabinet considered 57 agenda items - one of the longest agendas taken up in a single sitting. At the outset, the Chief Minister offered a dua for former chief minister Aftab Shaban Mirani and former provincial minister Lal Bux Bhutto, praying for their eternal peace.
The Chief Minister also announced that cabinet meetings will now be held every fortnight, with the next session scheduled for December 2 (Tuesday).
$15 million Grant for New JPMC Emergency Tower:
The Cabinet, after deliberation, approved a grant-in-aid of $15 million (or its equivalent in PKR) to the Patients’ Aid Foundation (PAF). The grant was requested for the supply of utilities and procurement of equipment for a proposed new 12-storied Emergency Tower at Jinnah Post Graduate Medical Centre (JPMC), Karachi.
The total estimated cost of the proposed Emergency Tower is $ 35 million. A consortium of PAF-JPMC donors has already committed $20 million for the construction component. The remaining USD15 million is sought from the Sindh Government for equipment and utilities.
The proposed grant of USD15 million is planned to be released in two equal instalments of 50 percent (USD7.5 million) each, during the Financial Years 2026-27 and 2027-28.
The chief minister said that the proposed Emergency Tower will offer 722 beds and 17 operating theatres, a significant increase from the present Emergency Department’s 224 beds and three operating theatres. This expansion is expected to significantly increase patient load capacity, enhance emergency services, and offer major financial relief to low-income patients.
The Patients’ Aid Foundation, through a public-private partnership, has already expanded JPMC’s capacity from 1,100 to 2,208 beds. The ongoing completion of two major buildings, the 12-storey Sardar Yasin Malik Medical Complex (SYMMC) and the 7-storey Officers’ Ward (Rabia Rashid Soorty Building – RRSB), is expected to further increase JPMC’s capacity to 2,584 beds by the end of 2026.
People’s Community Health Services Company:
The cabinet approved the establishment of the People’s Community Health Services Company, a not-for-profit entity under Section 42 of the Companies Act, 2017, aimed at revitalising and expanding community-level healthcare across the province.
The initiative will modernise and supplement the ageing Lady Health Workers (LHW) program - launched by Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto - which currently covers only 41 per cent of Sindh’s population. With over 9,600 LHWs and supervisors set to retire by 2035, the new company will hire and train a fresh workforce of Community Health Workers equipped with digital tools, transport, and real-time reporting systems to extend services to the remaining 59 per cent of uncovered communities.
The company will be governed by a nine-member Board chaired by the Health Secretary, with cross-sectoral representation and independent experts. A seed allocation of Rs 200 million for FY 2025-26 has been approved to support initial setup, training, logistics, and transport. The Cabinet also approved the Memorandum and Articles of Association required by SECP.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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