PESHAWAR: Shaheed Mohtarama Benazir Bhutto Children Hospital Mardan is unlikely to become operational this year as government has not released total allocated funds to it.

Health department had approved construction of the 200-bed children hospital on the premises of Mardan Medical Complex (MMC) in 2011 but it couldn’t become functional despite the passing of 12 years, according to official sources. The government allocated for it Rs150 million in this year’s budget but released only Rs33 million so far.

As the children hospital is yet to see completion soon, the local authorities have written to health department last month to release the remaining Rs117 million so that the facility could be made operational partially. It was initially planned to become fully functional by 2014.

Sources told this scribe that a request to health secretary was sent on September 7 for release of the amount on emergency basis by the authorities concerned.

The health facility was scheduled to go into service in 2014

The civil work of three floors of the hospital with installation of heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) system has been completed.

The health secretary was informed that if the remaining amount was released in bulk immediately, the hospital could be opened for patients within one to two months of the current year.

The request sent to health secretary said that the 50-bed children and 45-bed nursery units at MMC were overburdened due to load of patients.

It said that the hospital being built over a 40-kanal piece of land in MMC would cater to the needs of children from Swabi, Charsadda and Swat in addition to Mardan, the second populous district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Officials said that the hospital would provide child health services in 25 specialties after completion.

“Since approval of the hospital, the deadline for its completion has been extended from time to time and the latest was June 2023, which has already passed,” they said. They added that its total cost was Rs2.60 billion of which Rs1.50 billion had been released and utilised but the remaining amount of Rs1.10 billion was yet to be provided due to which it remained incomplete.

“About 95 per cent of civil work has been completed and an amount of Rs600 million is needed to purchase equipment and furniture and carry out renovation and face-lifting of the hospital,” said officials.

They said that they started only out-patient department of the hospital in May 2018. Five lifts and central cooling and heating system have been installed in the four-storey building with a vast basement having a capacity of parking for 100 cars. The hospital will also require 1,125 staffers to become fully functional for which amount is needed and a letter has also been sent to government in this regard.

“We will need Rs420 million per year to run the facility, which has five operation theatres, nursery, day-care and thalassemia centres,” officials said.

They said that the facility would play a vital role in reduction of paediatric morbidity and mortality in the province in line with Millennium Development Goal-4, through adoption of improved preventive, primitive and curative strategies in the field of healthcare.

“The project didn’t get due priority because it was named after late Benazir Bhutto, the former prime minister of the country and chairperson of Pakistan Peoples Party. Work on the hospital was started during the coalition government of Awami National Party and Pakistan Peoples Party in the province when the health ministry was held by the latter but even then, it didn’t get the desired attention in the shape of funds,” said officials.

They said that the main issue was procurement of equipment. “All the paperwork is complete but we need money. Once the hospital becomes operational, we can increase the strength of beds from 200 to 400,” they added.

Published in Dawn, October 30th, 2023