JAMSHORO, Jul 06 (NNI): The ground-breaking ceremony for “the Project for the extension of Maternal and Child Health Care Facility in Sindh” was held at Liaquat University Hospital Jamshoro, attended by Her Excellency Dr. Azra Fazal Pechuho (Minister for Health and Population Welfare), Honorable Mr. Zulfiqar Ali Shah (Secretary, Department of Sindh), Mr. NAKAGAWA Yasushi (Acting Consul-General of Japan) and Mr. HARA Tsuyoshi (Senior Representative, JICA Pakistan Office).
Through the provision of grant of approx. 3.445 billion yen for the project from the Government of Japan, a mother and child health care facility will be constructed at Liaquat University Hospital, Jamshoro. The new facility will have 98 beds and 30 cots including a neonatal ICU, a maternal and fetal ICU, outpatient departments, an operation theatre, an obstetrics ward and a laboratory. The construction of the facility is scheduled to be completed by April 2025. With the opening of the center, access to maternal and child health services in the area will be substantially improved. We expect the hospital to benefit 63,000 outpatients with 420 neonatal intensive care unit admissions annually.
The number of care facilities to treat mothers and babies with complications is limited in Sindh. This project will not only alleviate the pressure of tertiary hospitals in Karachi and Hyderabad, but also open up opportunities for families from all over southern part of Sindh, with improved accessibility and better chances of saving lives.
The Government of Japan and JICA give high priority to mother and child health in the health sector strategy in Pakistan, and reassure their commitment to continuous support to its vulnerable population. NNI
