PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Health Foundation has officially announced the outsourcing of 38 government hospitals to the private sector in a major move to reform the province’s healthcare system.
The provincial plan’s third phase of this project will establish medical facilities throughout Peshawar and multiple districts including Mardan Swat and Laki Marwat. The Health Department intends to enhance medical services for remote communities while establishing efficient management systems that deliver quality healthcare to all citizens.
The government has established 19 separate project clusters to execute the plan which includes 38 hospitals as individual projects. The transfer process will include Matani Hospital, which serves Peshawar, and multiple Mardan hospitals, including Katlang and Rustam, and DHQ Laki Marwat. The affected regions include Nowshera, Orakzai, Kurram, North Waziristan, and multiple additional districts. Dr. Khizar Hayat, Managing Director of the Health Foundation, explained that the policy aims to bring private-sector expertise and administrative accountability to the public health sector.
The new system will improve hospital operations while enabling the government to use its resources for essential healthcare requirements.
The bidding process has begun, with a pre-bid meeting set for February 18, 2026, while the final submission deadline is March 3. The government will use a “single-stage, two-envelope” evaluation system which starts with technical proposal assessment and subsequently reviews financial bids. To participate, all bidders, including joint ventures and consortia, must register with the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Revenue Authority.
The decision shows how public-private partnerships have become more important for the province.
Classes to resume at Peshawar University as PUTA ends strike
Meanwhile, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government and the University of Peshawar administration have finally accepted Peshawar University Teachers Association (PUTA) demands which ended the conflict that had suspended operations at the main educational institution of the province.
The university administration faced urgent demands from various parties which forced them to issue a formal announcement about the Selection Board meeting that had been postponed for a long time. Faculty members refused to engage in any academic work because they wanted to protest against the administrative system which obstructed their professional development and failed to resolve their work-related problems.
PUTA declared its strike suspension after the notification was officially issued which established that normal operations would start on Monday February 16th with classes and admissions and examinations.
The government’s unanticipated adherence to regulations has restored public peace however all students who participated in the week-long boycott must now work to regain the academic time they have missed. The provincial government administration faced criticism because its decision to deny access to the Selection Board meeting created an obstacle which endangered students academic progress.
The faculty members and department leaders of PUTA must create additional instructional sessions to make up for the classes which students lost during the strike.
The current resolution establishes a pattern which has become common in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa when government officials wait until all public services stop functioning before solving the legitimate problems which public sector workers bring forward. The association underlined that “student interests remain the top priority” while it pursued its objective.
