JACOBABAD: American Ambassador to Pakistan David Hale and Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah Friday inaugurated the Jacobabad Institute of Medical Sciences (JIMS).
The United States through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) provided $18 million to build the 133-bed hospital complex and supply it with medical equipment and a solar energy system. Sindh Health Minister Jam Mehtab Dahar, U.S. Consul General Brian Heath and USAID Pakistan Mission Director John Groarke attended.
“The Sindh government and Department of Health have been excellent partners on this project from the very beginning,” said Ambassador Hale.
“This state-of-the-art facility will provide high quality medical services to more than one million people each year. It will also serve as a nexus for research and training in the region,” he added.
The medical center offers inpatient and outpatient treatment, emergency services, and maternal and child care. An autonomous board of governors comprised of civil society, legislators, and health professionals oversees the hospital’s management and operations.
USAID has funded the renovation, expansion, and new construction of several health facilities in Pakistan, including Jinnah Post-Graduate Medical Center and the central warehouse for health commodities in Karachi.
While in Jacobabad, Ambassador Hale also visited the construction site of USAID’s $36 million Sindh Municipal Services Program water treatment plant. When completed, the facility will provide potable water to more than 250,000 area residents. Jacobabad Deputy Commissioner Raja Shah Zaman Khuhro briefed the Ambassador on the $1 million USAID project to support sustainable development of new water resources and integrate water hygiene into school curricula.
