Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday said that Jinnah Medical Complex would be developed as a tertiary care hospital meeting international standards.

During a meeting to review progress on the Jinnah Medical Complex and Research Centre, he directed that all necessary measures related to the construction of the complex should be completed within the stipulated period of time.

The meeting was presented with the concept design of the complex prepared by the Chinese company Hongkong-AOHUA.

The company, which has over 30 years of experience in designing more than 1,000 hospitals, prepared the concept design of the hospital free of cost, the PM Office Media Wing said in a statement.

The participants were given a detailed overview of the hospital’s design.

The meeting was attended by Ministers Ahsan Iqbal, Ahad Khan Cheema, Shaza Fatima Khawaja, Minister of State for Health Mukhtar Ahmad Bharath, Prime Minister’s Coordinator Musharraf Zaidi, Chairman of Pakistan Kidney and Liver Institute Professor Dr Saeed Akhtar, CEO of the Chinese company Dr Liu Zhanpei, along with the delegation and other senior officials.

The prime minister observed that a Chinese company prepared a world-class concept design for a hospital in Pakistan without any compensation was a clear testament to the strong Pak-China friendship and growing people-to-people ties.

“We are deeply grateful to the leadership of the Chinese company and every individual involved in the design process,” he said, adding that this gift from the Chinese company would always be remembered by the government, the people of Pakistan, and those who would get treatment in this hospital.

The prime minister desired that a technical review of the design prepared by the Chinese company be conducted.

He further directed that the complex should be digitised and artificial intelligence should be incorporated.

The prime minister opined that it was encouraging that the concept design included comprehensive planning to deal with any future epidemics or emergencies.

“Environmental protection, water conservation, and efficient resource usage must be prioritised in the project,” he stressed.

The prime minister also expressed satisfaction over the inclusion of solar energy, effective use of natural light, water recycling, and greenery in the design.

Instructions were also issued during the meeting to digitally connect the Jinnah Medical Complex with other hospitals in Islamabad.