By Syed Tauqeer Zaidi
PESHAWAR: Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Muhammad Sohail Afridi chaired a high-level meeting on 22 January 2026 to review ongoing healthcare reforms, key challenges, and the future strategy of the provincial Health Department, officials said.
The Chief Minister urged authorities to move away from a “firefighting” approach and adopt a comprehensive and sustainable strategy to ensure the long-term provision of quality healthcare facilities to the public. He emphasized the need to strengthen primary and secondary hospitals to reduce pressure on major medical centers, discouraging unnecessary referrals.
While ensuring that unavoidable referrals were properly justified. Officials were also directed to establish a centralized bed management system. During the meeting, officials highlighted that unnecessary referrals were causing difficulties for patients and overburdening major hospitals. Afridi instructed authorities to present immediately implementable proposals to increase beds in MTI hospitals and ICUs.
