The Senate Standing Committee on National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination, on Tuesday vowed to continue monitoring developments closely and reiterated its commitment to addressing the pressing challenges in Pakistan’s public health sector.
The committee chaired by Senator Amir Waliuddin Chishti, convened here at Parliament House to address the growing concerns over deteriorating healthcare standards in Islamabad’s public hospitals, particularly the Federal Government Services Hospital, commonly known as Polyclinic.
During the meeting, Senator Syed Masroor Ahsan expressed grave concern over the substandard conditions at Polyclinic. Citing a recent personal visit, he highlighted alarming inadequacies in healthcare services and lamented that patients are routinely asked to procure essential medicines from private pharmacies.
Federal Minister for Health, Syed Mustafa Kamal, acknowledged the pressure on the capital’s public healthcare system. He informed the committee that Islamabad’s two major hospitals and 30 Basic Health Units (BHUs) are overstretched, catering to nearly 70% of the population.
He added that a significant number of people seek treatment for minor ailments in public hospitals despite having the means to access private care, further overburdening government facilities.
Mustafa Kamal also revealed that patients from Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) frequently seek treatment in Islamabad, intensifying the demand.
‘Hospitals designed to accommodate 3,000 patients are now serving up to 30,000 daily,’ he told the committee, underscoring the urgent need for systemic reforms.
To tackle the healthcare crisis, the minister announced a forthcoming publicprivate partnership model aimed at delivering nonprofit healthcare services.
‘This initiative is set to launch within the next 15 to 20 days,’ he said, adding that a Jinnah Medical Complex-slated to become one of the region’s largest medical research centers-is also under development in Islamabad.
Committee Chairman Chishti questioned the underutilization of a 266bed hospital built during the COVID19 pandemic, calling for its immediate operationalization.
The minister responded that efforts were underway to activate this and other extensions of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), many of which are nearing completion across various sectors of the capital.
In light of the city’s growing population-now estimated at 2.6 to 2.7 million-the committee strongly recommended the establishment of an additional public hospital in Islamabad to meet increasing healthcare demands.
The session also turned to allegations of corruption and mismanagement in the Pakistan Nursing Council (PNC). Mustafa Kamal launched a scathing critique, labeling the council a ‘mafialike’ entity and pointing out the limitations of his authority due to a lack of formal control.