Islamabad to get Pakistan’s ‘first-ever’ health tower

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday directed the authorities concerned to establish a health tower of international standard in the federal capital to house hospitals, medical and nursing universities, modern laboratories, and diagnostics centers.

The prime minister, while chairing a meeting to evaluate topics concerning the Ministry of National Health Services, directed that a strategy be developed to build the tower through a public-private partnership.

Highlighting the health sector’s vital responsibility to save human lives, the prime minister voiced his concern over the reported new polio cases in the country and committed to eradicating the disease by utilizing all available resources in partnership with partners.

He also advocated for a third-party audit of laboratories overseen by the Ministry of National Health Services, as well as the appointment of highly trained health experts to the ministry and its affiliated departments.

Prime Minister Shehbaz promised to personally monitor health-related issues and ordered a third-party audit of Pakistan’s Drug Regulatory Authority, as well as the development of a strategy to separate drug processing from the authority.