Public-private partnerships between the Medical Emergency Resilience Foundation (MERF) and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Health Foundation (KPHF) are improving public health across the province. The partners say the model is widening access to affordable care, expanding special care and raising service quality.
The clearest example, according to the report, is District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital Wana in South Waziristan. Service performance there has greatly improved since MERF took over management in 2022.
Wana hospital’s rise in provincial monitoring rankings
The provincial government’s Independent Monitoring Unit (IMU) said the hospital’s performance score climbed from 37 percent to between 80 and 84 percent over the past several quarters. That places it among the most improved secondary healthcare facilities in the province.
The hospital now serves an average of 780 patients daily. It offers specialist consultations, emergency care, dialysis, surgical procedures, laboratory diagnostics and inpatient services.
Fourteen specialist consultants work across 11 medical disciplines, and specialists handle 93 percent of outpatient department (OPD) consultations. MERF Provincial Manager KP Dr. Abdul Basit said recruitment is under way to fill remaining vacancies in a few specialised disciplines.
Basit added that the PPP model is also reflected in DHQ Hospital Mishti Mela in Orakzai, another facility MERF manages with the KP government and KPHF. The hospital has remained among the top-ranked secondary facilities in the province in IMU assessments for several consecutive years, despite operating in a geographically challenging district.
Nishterabad hospital extends affordable care in Peshawar
Government General Hospital (GGH) Nishterabad in Peshawar is described as another example of the model’s contribution. The report says it has helped reduce the burden on tertiary-care hospitals and brought affordable medical services closer to urban communities.
The hospital continues to serve thousands of patients through expanded outpatient, emergency and specialist services. This, the report says, is improving access to healthcare and strengthening the provincial health system.
MERF’s stated goals for provincial health services
Basit said the PPP model had shown how collaboration between the public and development sectors could improve healthcare delivery. He said it could also ensure equitable access to quality medical services for communities across the province.
MERF said it remains committed to helping the provincial government improve public health facilities through innovation, better service standards, effective administration and patient-centred care. It currently oversees several public healthcare institutions in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa under the PPP for Health model.
Through this work, the organisation hopes to enhance patient satisfaction, operational effectiveness and service quality. It also aims to ensure vulnerable groups can reach prompt, reasonably priced, high-quality care near their homes. MERF reaffirmed its commitment to consistent, high-quality services in partnership with KPHF and the provincial government.
