Punjab government to establish medical colleges under public-private partnership

The Punjab government has decided to establish new medical and dental colleges under a public-private partnership (PPP) model, reported 24NewsHD TV channel Wednesday.

A four-member committee has been formed to oversee this initiative, chaired by former Health Minister Dr. Javed Akram.

The committee includes Vice Chancellor of the University of Health Sciences (UHS) Professor Ahsan Waheed Rathore, Principal of General Hospital Professor Al Farid Zafar, and Principal of SIMS Professor Zahra Khanum.

This decision comes in response to the unchecked growth of private medical and dental colleges in Punjab over the past years.

According to the Health Department, 40 private medical colleges were established across the province without a proper needs assessment, leading to an unfair distribution of human resources.

The newly formed committee has been tasked with preparing a model for the establishment of these medical colleges under the PPP framework.

The committee is expected to submit its recommendations within 10 days. This initiative aims to ensure a more equitable and strategic distribution of medical education resources in the province.

Reporter: Zahid Chaudhary