ISLAMABAD, Jan 28 (APP):Pakistan Bait-ul-Mal (PBM) and four private hospitals Tuesday joined hands in first ever public private partnership for conducting cochlear implant surgeries of the speaking and hearing impaired children of poorest of the poor segment of society.
Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) were signed separately with four hospitals here on Tuesday. Director Medical PBM Dr Javed Iqbal and representatives of Bahria Hospital, Indus Hospital, Karachi, Mukhtar A Shekih Hospital, Multan and National Hospital and Medical Centre, Lahore inked the MoU on behalf of their respective hospitals.
A cochlear implant, costs Rs 1.5 million plus. According to the agreement, PBM will pay Rs 1 million for each cochlear implant surgery while rest Rs 500,000 plus will be paid by the respective hospitals.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr Javed Iqbal said PBM has made the whole process transparent and any deserving person could apply for cochlear implant surgery online. So far, 534 families have applied for conducting their cochlear implants surgeries.
Their operation would be conducted within next six months on the first come first serve basis.
He said PBM provided treatment facilities to the deserving patients of deadly diseases from Rs 600,000 to Rs 1 million. PBM has already helped conducting cochlear implant surgeries of 25 deserving children in Capital Development Authority (CDA) hospital recently.
