PESHAWAR: The health department’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Health Foundation has decided to outsource around 60 more hospitals and two regional blood centres, and install CT scanners in hospitals through public-private partnership to improve patient care. “In the first step, the foundation will hand over the control of 58 government hospitals to private organisations with private partnership,” a health official told Dawn. He said the feasibility study for the initiative had already been completed. The official said those facilities were ready for outsourcing with 50pc work already completed but the last caretaker government deferred action on the plan insisting that it was the job of the elected government to make such “policy moves.” The decision about hospital outsourcing was made in a last week chaired by Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur, according to officials. Official says CT scanners will also be installed in hospitals with private partnership They said the CM was briefed on the plan and told that the government had already handed over 19 hospitals to NGOs leading to improvement in their performance. “Now, a steering committee headed by the chief minister will be notified to pave the way for outsourcing of the 58 hospitals as well as rural health centers and basic health units in two districts,” an official told Dawn. He said under the CM’s directives, the regional blood centres (RBCs) in Dera Ismail Khan and Abbottabad districts would also be outsourced to ensure timely provision of blood to patients in hospitals. The official said the plan also included installation of CT scanners in a few Category A hospitals in some districts. The Health Foundation, a public sector entity established under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Act, 2016, is mandated to contract out hospitals to non-governmental organisations. Officials said that outsourcing of health facilities was important as there were many vacancies that were denying patients the desired services. Under the public-private partnership agreements, the government releases budget to partner organisations, which are bound to hire staff, install equipment and provide medicines, using the same money, according to officials. They said NGOs appointed people without pursuing the cumbersome and long processes as per the law that facilitated the smooth functioning of the facilities. The officials said the HF had already completed the first phase of the bidding process for handing over those 58 hospitals to NGOs for better operations, while 25 of the 54 firms had been shortlisted. They said those hospitals had been identified but the health department got them reassessed through the World Bank to exactly know their issues for the information of private organisations before their outsourcing through bidding. When contacted, HF managing director Dr Adnan Tajsaid the foundation awaited the notification of the steering committee to give proposals for more hospital outsourcing. “Under initial plans, the government wants to install CT scanners in a few hospitals to benefit patients. Under the law, partner organisations will be required to run CT scanners through fee collection and take care of repairs,” he said. Dr Taj also said the role of RBCs was very significant in the supply of free blood to patients in hospitals. He said the RBCs established by the government had been supplying screened blood to patients in hospitals. “The outsourcing exercise is being carried out under the law,” he said, adding that partner organisations receive funds from the government after their approval by authorities. The MD said the foundation had introduced stringent criteria for the selection of partner organisations, so those with vast health management experience were considered. He said the health department had been carrying out assessment of the health facilities and the ones not functioning properly were being outsourced after the fulfillment of legal formalities.