“Sindh’s health budget has been spent on hospitals to provide free and quality healthcare to the public,” Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said while addressing the inaugural ceremony on Wednesday.
He confirmed federal approval for SIUT’s expansion into other provinces, saying, “Soon, SIUT facilities will open in Gujar Khan, Sargodha, Rahim Yar Khan and DI Khan. From south Punjab to northern K-P, people will get the same treatment available in Karachi.”
Bilawal praised SIUT’s partnership with the Sindh government, calling it the province’s “most powerful public-private collaboration.” He noted that Sindh’s annual support for SIUT had risen from Rs6 billion to Rs21 billion since devolution.
He criticised other provinces’ reliance on blanket health-card schemes, arguing that they divert public funds to for-profit private hospitals, while Sindh invests in state infrastructure and non-profit partnerships.
Bilawal also recalled attempts during PTI rule to take back Sindh’s devolved hospitals. “We not only defended NICVD and JPMC but proved that devolution is the best model for healthcare,” he said.
In an emotional address, SIUT founder Dr Adeeb Rizvi reiterated the institute’s philosophy of universal access. “Free healthcare with dignity is our slogan, and the slogan of the people of Sindh,” he said. “We have shown that free treatment — from operations to X-rays — is possible when there is will.”
Referring to the former hotel venue, he added, “This place was once a luxury hotel; today it is a hospital for those who need it most. We have not just treated people; we have taught them that getting care is their birthright.”
Dr Adeeb Rizvi urged the government to prioritise integrated medical education, student rotations across provinces and scholarships for outstanding trainees. “Buying expensive machines is not enough — educating our doctors is what will change healthcare,” he said.
Health Minister Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho said, “SIUT is not only providing services in urology and transplantation, but also offering treatment for cancer and congenital heart diseases. We are now moving towards community-level intervention by training lady health workers and improving early recognition of congenital heart conditions.”
Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah said, “Dr Adeeb Rizvi has never faced a shortage of funds; wherever he goes, people willingly come forward to support him.”
He added that the Sindh government’s strongest sector is health, and that the core of its public–private partnership model is institutions like SIUT, which he described as its “shining star.”
New phase of growth
Speaking at the event, a senior SIUT trustee said the institute had entered a new phase of growth centred on education, innovation and equal partnerships. “We’ve always believed in developing our own people — nurses, technologists and physician assistants. With more space, we will scale up these programmes, including new initiatives such as AI tools for ICU and clinical training,” he said.
“Our ambition is clear: we want to make SIUT a model that helps solve real healthcare problems not just in Pakistan but anywhere in the world.”
He also announced several major upcoming projects: a 300-bed children’s hospital in Rehri Goth and Ranchore Lines, expected to be fully operational by summer 2026; a comprehensive cancer centre at Mehrunnisa (Korangi) and a parallel facility in Sukkur within a year; a 200-plus-bed hospital in Larkana; new SIUT centres in Rahim Yar Khan, Gujar Khan and Sargodha by 2026; and plans to introduce CAR-T cell therapy and proton therapy — treatments that would place Pakistan among countries offering cutting-edge medical care.
Former FBR chairman Shabbar Zaidi said the conversion of the 440-room Regent Plaza into a hospital demonstrates that world-class care can be delivered to the poorest citizens. “Dr Rizvi wanted to show that those who could never imagine entering such a building will now receive free treatment inside it,” Zaidi said. “This will become a model of how five-star infrastructure can serve the public at large.”
He added that international experts were helping redesign the premises into a modern teaching and research facility, strengthening SIUT’s role as a degree-awarding medical institution.
A journey from 8 beds to Pakistan’s largest free health network
Founded in 1971 with just eight beds at Civil Hospital Karachi, SIUT has grown over five decades into Pakistan’s most advanced public-sector centre for urology, nephrology, transplantation, hepato-gastroenterology, paediatric urology, cardiology and cancer care.
SIUT’s new campus currently houses 60 beds, with dialysis sessions already under way. The institute plans to increase its capacity to 200 sessions a day, making it one of the largest dialysis hubs in the region.