KARACHI: Thanking the US government`s help in providing certain modern healthcare and educational facilities, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah on Thursday said his government was paying special attention to social sector, particularly health and education, water management and energy.

`People of Sindh are very thankful to the American government for extending helping hand to our government in providing them most modern health facilities and good education, said Mr Shah at a meeting with the US Consul General Brian Heath, political/economic chief in the Karachi consulate Edward Burkhalter and his predecessor Chad Peterson who called on him here at CM House.

The consul general and the chief minister discussed matters pertaining to the Jacobabad Institute of Medical Sciences (JIMS) and shared ideas to make it one of the best hospi-tals in the country.

The state-of-the-art building of the JIMS has been constructed with the $20 million granted by USAID. The hospital has started functioning but yet waiting for recruitment of specialists.

Mr Shah told the US envoy that selection of doctors, paramedics and specialists was under way for which offer letters would soon be issued. He asked the Sindh health minister to go to Jacobabad and resolve the matter in two days.

The chief minister constituted a working group comprising the health minister and Edward Burkhalter to improve the hospital`s performance, enabling it to provide timely healthcare to the people of northern Sindh, adjoining districts of Balochistan and southern Punjab.

The JIMS is a 133-bed hospital fully equipped with latest technology.

Mr Heath also discussed with the chief minister the Sindh Municipal Services Delivery Programme (MSDP) and the Sindh Basic E ducationProgramme (SBEP). Under the USAID-funded project, MSDP is aimed at improving municipal infrastructure, water supply, sanitation and solid waste management in six selected towns of the province with $66 million USAID contribution as a grant.

In the first phase Jacobabad town has been taken up by USAID for municipal infrastructure upgrade at an estimated cost of $35 million. The water supply scheme in Jacobabad for $20 million is said to be in progress and expected to be completed by June 2017. The chief minister said this would be a great contribution of the US government for the people of Sindh, particularly the citizens of Jacobabad.

The officials said USAID had pledged $165 million grant for Sindh Basic Education Programme under which 120 schools would be constructed across Sindh.

The meeting was also attended by Health Minister Jam Mehtab Dahar and the principal secretary to the CM.