RAWALPINDI: The Rawalpindi Institute of Urology and Transplantation (RIUT) became functional after 11 years as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif inaugurated the facility on Tuesday.

Work on the 400-bed hospital was started in 2012 at a cost of Rs2 billion but the slow pace of work escalated the cost to Rs3.4 billion. Moreover, the number of beds was also reduced to 200. Initially, the project cost was Rs1.5 billion but due to the slow funding it escalated thrice reaching over Rs3 billion.

The previous PTI-led Punjab government released only Rs200 million for the project in 2019-20.

But after the change of government last year, the federal and provincial governments sped up efforts to complete the project.

Total l96 kanals was acquired by Punjab government in 2010-11 from Punjab Agriculture Department which later shifted its offices near Rawat.

PM says no one should be allowed to politicise projects launched by any govt

The hospital building was also used to tend to the Covid-19 patients in the Rawalpindi district in the last two years.

At present, the urology department of Benazir Bhutto Hospital is conducting kidney transplants on a limited scale. A few operations have been carried out by a 35-member urology and kidney transplant expert team at the hospital.

Rawalpindi Medical University (RMU) Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Mohammad Umer told Dawn that the emergency, outpatients department (OPD), lithotripsy, dialysis centre and laboratory had already been made fully functional at the RIUT while the installation of kidney transplant machines was completed in the current month.

“After this, formal kidney transplants will be initiated in the hospital. The lithotripsy machine used to remove stones from the kidney through radiation is among the 50 machines that have been made functional in the dialysis unit,” he said. He said the RIUT will be a model for other institutes in the region.

He said lithotripsy machines had also been installed. A laboratory has been made functional in the hospital while 80 per cent of the machinery required for kidney transplants have reached the hospital and their installation was in progress, he said.

“Kidney stones will be treated with laser using the lithotripsy machines at the RIUT which will be the first government hospital for the treatment of kidney diseases in the Rawalpindi division,” he said.

APP ADDS: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday said development projects, particularly those relating to health and education, must not be politicised and be implemented in the best interest of the general public.

During his visit to the RIUT, he said no one should be allowed to politicise projects of any government.

He expressed satisfaction with the completion of the first phase of the hospital where patients were being provided best medical treatment in areas of dialysis, kidney ailments and surgeries.

He lauded the Punjab administration of health for effectively carrying out the operationalisation of the hospital and appreciated doctors and nurses for their dedication.

He mentioned that Rs5 billion were spent on RIUT so far and recalled that he had laid the foundation of the hospital in 2012. He regretted that the previous government delayed the project which otherwise could have been made operational much earlier.

Mr Sharif said earlier an allegation against him by a former chief justice of the Supreme Court halted the work on a kidney and liver transplant hospital in Lahore.

He said such discouragement of development and social work badly impacted the provision of civic facilities to the general public.

The prime minister took a round of various sections of the RIUT and inquired about the health of patients.

Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb, Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) leaders Hanif Abbasi, Tahira Aurangzeb and others were present.

Published in Dawn, April 19th, 2023