Authorities have decided to outsource the Basic Health Units (BHUs) and Rural Health Centres (RHCs) in all 37 districts of Punjab, including the Rawalpindi district, under the status of Maryam Nawaz Health Clinics (MNHC), retain current regular staff of these centres at other government hospitals, regularise non-regular staff, and terminate the employment of staff working on specific health projects once the projects are completed.

A meeting of the Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of all District Health Authorities (DHAs) across the province, chaired by the Secretary of Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department Punjab, decided that the outsourcing process for BHUs and RHCs under each DHA would continue.

These centres will be outsourced based on upgraded healthcare facilities and designated as MNHCs. The centres that are being revamped will have their regular staff retained, and they will be deployed at other government hospitals upon the recruitment of new staff.

The process of regularising the employment of non-regular staff will continue. Moreover, the employment of those hired for specific health projects will be terminated upon the completion of the respective projects.

Dr Asif Arbab Niazi, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Rawalpindi DHA, says that in the first phase, seven BHUs and RHCs in the Rawalpindi district have already been outsourced and designated as MNHCs, while in the second phase, 20 more BHUs will be outsourced and upgraded to the status of MNHCs.

Before outsourcing, the building of each BHU and RHC will undergo revamping. After the first and second phases, 27 more centres will be converted into MNHCs, he added.

In the third phase, the remaining 71 health centres will undergo revamping, and these, too, will be outsourced and designated as MNHCs. As a result, 98 Maryam Nawaz Health Clinics across the district will provide free and quality healthcare services to the public.

The administration managing MNHCs, including the financial and operational systems, will submit their claims for costs to the Punjab government in exchange for providing free healthcare services.

Dr Niazi further explained that with the establishment of 98 MNHCs across the district, people will no longer need to visit larger hospitals in the cities for treatment.