ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has directed all the provincial governments to allocate land for the construction of forty-six hospitals.

On the directions of Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, the federal government has written letters to the Chief Secretaries of the four provinces, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan and Islamabad Capital Territory Administration in this regard.

These 46 hospitals will be fully funded Federal hospitals with state of the art facilities and will be designed by international consultants.

The proposed sites in Punjab for 500 bedded hospitals are Rajanpur, Jhang, Bhakkar, Sadiqabad and Rawalpindi while 250 bedded hospitals will be constructed in Burewala, Ahmedpur East, Kot Addu, Taunsa, Sahiwal ,Sargodha, Pasroor and Layyah.

In Sindh, 500 bedded hospitals will be constructed in Jacobabad, Mirpur Khas and Badin while 250 bedded hospitals will be established in Islam Kot, Nausharo Feroze and Meher districts.

In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, land will be allocated for 500 bedded hospitals in Haripur and Charsadda; land for 250 bedded hospitals in Batgram, Hangu, FATA and Chitral, while 100 beds hospitals will be constructed in Garhi Habibullah and Kaghan.

In Balochistan, 100 beds hospitals will be constructed in Hub, Noshki, Chaman and Punjgur; 250 beds hospitals in Khuzdar, Loralai and Sibi while land for 500 bedded hospital will be allocated in Quetta.

In Gilgit-Baltistan, 250 beds hospitals will be constructed in Skardu and Gilgit; 100 bedded hospital in Karimabad Hunza while 50 beds hospital will be constructed at Ghanche.

A 250 beds hospital will be constructed in Muzaffarabad, 100 beds hospitals in Rawlakot, Kotli and Athmuqam while land will be allocated for 50 beds hospital at Leepa in AJK.

Land will also be allocated for three hospitals in the Federal Capital.

After completion, these hospitals will be run on best management model having minimum control of the government with best service delivery. The selection of districts for the proposed hospitals across the country has been made keeping in view the Poverty Index and availability of health infrastructure in across the Provinces.  

Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif has directed to complete these 46 hospitals before the end of tenure of the present government to realize his dream of the social corridor across the length and breadth of the country. This corridor will translate into reality Prime Minister's vision of establishing a tertiary care health network in the four Provinces, AJK and Gilgit Baltistan.

The Prime Minister said that we are simultaneously targeting poverty and diseases in the country as Poverty and diseases make a deadly combination in any household.