The Punjab government going to privatize government hospitals of the Punjab. After Lahore’s Jinnah Hospital, preparations are underway to lease out Pakistan’s largest Mayo Hospital. At the first phase, government is out sourcing May Hospital’s pathology department for three years.
After education, outsourcing of health sector is also on the cards. After the rural health centres, now government is preparing to lease out large teaching hospitals.
At the first phase, Punjab is planning to lease out Lahore’s Jinnah Hospital, second plan is outsourcing of Mayo Hospital for three years. In the beginning the pathology lab of Mayo Hospital will be out sourced for three years.
The Specialized Health Department has decided to hand over the pathology department of Mayo Hospital to the private sector and in this regard, the health department has also invited applications by April 28. The Punjab government will also provide funds worth crores of rupees to those private institution who will run pathology lab after bidding.
The bid-winning contractor will be responsible to provide medical tests facilities for indoor, outdoor and emergency patients, and the contractor will recruit its own staff to run the pathology laboratory. Earlier, applications have been received to lease out Jinnah Hospital.
The responsibility of all the administrative and patient treatment of Jinnah Hospital has also been transferred to private firms and Punjab government will only provide funds. On the other hand, against this privatization process, young doctors, nurses, paramedical staff and lady health workers from all over Punjab are staging sit-in before the Punjab Assembly.
