Syed Qaim Ali Shah, Sindh Chief Minister and David Hale US Ambassador inaugurated the Jacobabad Institute of Medical Sciences (JIMS) recently. 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. Dr. Jam Mehtab Dahar, Sindh Health Minister, Brian Heath, US Consul-General, John Groarke, USAID Pakistan Mission Director and other dignitaries attended the ceremony.
Addressing the ceremony, Chief Minister Sindh Syed Qaim Shah said that people and the USA government had played a vital and laudable role in the socio-economic uplift of the province and the people of the Sindh were indeed grateful to them for their generous contribution towards education, health and poverty alleviation sectors. Currently 130 impressive school buildings were being constructed across the Province under USAID Program. The present government had enhanced budget allocation for health and education by over 100 percent since 2008, adding that in the current financial year, an amount of Rs.11 billion was being spent for health sector.
USA ambassador to Pakistan, David Hale in his address informed the audience that this state-of-the-art facility at preliminary stage would provide modern health facilities to about 800 patients on daily basis and this capacity would be expended later on. He said that this project was announced by the then USA ambassador to Pakistan back in 2010 when she visited Jacobabad which was badly damaged by super flood and rains; the envoy said that JIMS would
serve as a source of sincere and durable friendship between the people and government of Pakistan and the United States. He said that USA was committed to provide improved facilities in environment, sanitation, portable waters and other highly significant sector.
Raja Shah Zaman Khuhro, Deputy Com-missioner Jacobabad briefed the participants on the $1 million USAID project to support sustainable development of new water resources and integrate water hygiene into school curricula.
