PESHAWAR: As the PTI government has begun putting up shelter homes in the provincial capital for nighttime use by the people living on the streets, two of the three inns established at the teaching hospitals of the provincial capital more than a decade ago by the then government for patients’ attendants and daily-wage workers don’t serve their purpose.

The Hayatabad Medical Complex inn set up by the social welfare department in 2006 on the directives of then chief minister Akram Khan Durrani, of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal, no more exists.

It was taken over by the hospital from the department a year later before using it for own purposes.

Dept seeks possession of buildings for people spending nights on streets

As for the Lady Reading Hospital inn also established the same year, it has never become functional.

Sources claimed that the LRH administration didn’t allow the social welfare department to function it.

However, the Khyber Teaching Hospital inn opened in 2005 accommodates at least 100 people every night though the artificial limb workshop was shifted to its lower portion a few months ago due to renovation of the former’s building.

The workshop, which is also overseen by the social welfare department, was shifted to the inn temporarily. It however occupies half of the space meant for poor workers.

At the facility for which the land was provided by the KTH, the people get food from philanthropists besides sleeping in four halls with mattresses.

Many labourers sleep on the roadside or in front of shops as the median used by them for spending nights has been done away with for the Bus Rapid Transport project.

An official of the KTH said the artificial limb workshop would move back from the inn after the completion of renovation.

An official of the social welfare department told Dawn that all three inns had been established from the funds of his department.

He however said the inns didn’t serve their purpose afterwards due to the disinterest of the MMA and successive governments.

“We’d built the inns through PC-I, while a memorandum of understanding was signed with the administrations of the hospitals. Now, we are planning to take up the issue with the health department at higher level and hope that the current administrations of LRH and HMC will open the inns to the people,” he said.

The official said the department spent money on the inn’s construction and currently paid its unity bills only.

“The food is provided to the people at KTH inn by philanthropists. If we get the two inns back, we are ready to provide the people with food by engaging philanthropists,” he said.

The official said the KTH inn was currently overcrowded by the people due to chilly weather.

Published in Dawn, December 23rd, 2018