Karachi: After inaugurating two new SIUT centers for dialysis and kidney stone treatment in Karachi on Wednesday, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has vowed to expand the SIUT network to Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He said free, high-quality treatment should reach every Pakistani, not just those living in Sindh.
He was speaking at the launch of the Dr Syed Haroon Ahmed Dialysis Centre and the Zubeida Mustafa Lithotripsy Unit at SIUT Trust Hospital. Both facilities have been developed under the Sindh government’s public–private partnership programme, adding vital capacity for renal patients who rely on SIUT for lifesaving, free care.
Bilawal said the Sindh government and SIUT together had created a healthcare model “that treats every patient with dignity and without discrimination.” He praised Dr Adeebul Hasan Rizvi, calling him one of Pakistan’s finest social leaders and the driving force behind SIUT’s national credibility.
Announcing the network’s expansion, Bilawal said new SIUT centres will be established in Gujar Khan, Sargodha, Rahim Yar Khan and Dera Ismail Khan. He said people from these regions deserve the same access to dialysis, transplant support and free kidney stone treatment that SIUT provides in Sindh.
He added that a major, state-of-the-art SIUT hospital will be completed in Larkana by 2027. He said the Sindh government’s support for SIUT grew sharply after the 18th Amendment, rising from Rs 6 billion to Rs 21 billion this year.
Bilawal said the devolution of powers had led to a “remarkable transformation” of Sindh’s public health institutions. He said NICVD, NICH, JPMC, Gambat Hospital and SIUT now offer sophisticated, world-class treatment to citizens from every province.
He said NICVD had become the world’s largest free cardiac care network, performing thousands of procedures annually at zero cost. He added that these facilities, once struggling, had improved because of direct and sustained provincial investment.
Commenting on different provincial health models, Bilawal said Sindh strengthened its hospitals, while Khyber Pakhtunkhwa dedicated most of its health budget to the Health Card scheme. He said this model was “flawed” because financial limits force patients to pay out of pocket once their coverage ends.
He added that giving every citizen the same insurance amount, regardless of income, creates further inequality. He said the greatest injustice was the diversion of public funds from government hospitals to private, profit-driven facilities.
Bilawal also addressed calls from some circles to shift powers over education and population control back to the federal government. He warned that reversing provincial rights would create backlash and undermine the gains achieved through devolution.
He said the federal government should instead improve its own performance and use the Council of Common Interests to coordinate with provinces. He added that once a constitutional right is given, retracting it weakens trust and disrupts governance.
Bilawal said the PPP’s mission is to serve the poor and ensure equal access to quality treatment. He said Pakistan must be a country where the rich and poor stand in the same line for healthcare and receive the same standard of care.
Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, Health Minister Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho, provincial ministers, MNAs, MPAs, PPP leaders and senior social figures attended the ceremony.
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