PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur on Thursday inaugurated the Institute of Health Sciences at the University of Peshawar here as a centre of excellence in healthcare education and research and underscored the importance of strengthening institutions.

`Our province will automatically become self-reliant when institutions are self-sustainable,` Mr Gandapur said during the IHS opening ceremony here, according to anofficial statement.

The chief minister said KP was the first and only province in the country to establish a debt management fund, with Rs30 billion already transferred to it, while reforms and measures in various sectors had resulted in a 45 per cent increase in the province`s revenue.

He said the government was committed to providing better treatment in hospitals and quality education in schools.

`While it takes time to putup buildings, our government has started utilising available facilities for educational purposes. We are working to introduce market-oriented courses in other universities so that instead of standing in job queues, our youth acquire skills for self-employment,` he said.

Mr Gandapur said the government was investing in human resources to turn youth into valua-ble assets.

He said the country was not short of talented people but it simply needed to utilise their talents effectively.

`Integrated measures are being taken to help the province achieve financial self-reliance in line with the vision of our [PTI`s] founding chairman Imran Khan,` he said.

The statement read that the NIH offered BS degree programmes in seven disciplines, including medical laboratory technology, radiology, cardiology, dental technology, surgical technology, optometry, and emergency services and would introduce BS (nursing) and other health technologies in the future.

The chief minister said the institute would help address the shortage of trainedhealthcare professionalsin the health sector and play a crucial role in meeting the university`s financial needs and contribute to improv-ing the healthcare system by preparing skilled health professionals.

`When powers are transferred to the lower levels, service delivery automatically improves,` he said, promising to address the promotion issue for UoP faculty members on a priority basis.

A statement from the UoP read that the chief minister announced development of a new medical college, including a school of nursing, with an initial investment of Rs500 million.

`The college is expected to enroll students from next year.

The statement also revealed that the university had `embarked on a new chapter in medical education in KP with the launch of Allied Health Sciences programmes and a new medical college.

Higher education minister Meena Khan Afridi said the government was committed to empowering youth through a strengthenedhigher education system.

He said that promoting quality and healthy competition among institutions was a key mechanism for achieving that vision.

Meanwhile, Mr Gandapur inaugurated the country`s first online medicine ordering portal at the health department, saying it is a step towards improving service delivery, ensuring accountability and promoting transparency in the health sector.

A statement issued from the chief minister`s secretariat read that with the help of that portal, the district health officers and medical superintendents across the province would be able to place medicine orders online.

It added that the system was designed with pre-fed medicine requirements based on the geographic profile of each district.

Mr Gandapur also launched fuelcards for EPI vaccinators to permanently resolve the fuel-related challenges faced by vaccinators to improve routine immunisation services.

He said the provincial government was striving since day one to provide the best possible services to the public, with health and education being its top priorities.

`We are working out of the box to streamline the system. We are simplifying complex routine business and introducing necessary amendments to existing rules and regulations for this purpose,` he said.

The chief minister said that steps were being taken to bring all public hospitals on the Sehat Card panel, ensure free emergency medicines, and include liver and kidney transplants in the Sehat Card scheme.

He said at least two cardiac satellite centres would be established in everyregion ofthe province.