Govt asks provinces to allot land for 46 new hospitals

State minister for health says new facilities will boost patient-bed ratio

ISLAMABAD: The federal government put the provinces and territories on notice that it needed land for constructing 46 new hospitals across the country, as Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had announced last month.

The government wrote letters to the chief secretaries of all provinces, Azad Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan and Islamabad Capital Territory in this regard. These hospitals will be fully-funded by the federal government.



On August 26, PM Nawaz had approved the plan for building new hospitals following a detailed briefing on domestic healthcare facilities.

The premier was briefed that the ratio of beds per 1,000 people in Pakistan that was zero to five in 1970, which rose to zero to sixty-two this year. Upon completion, these hospitals will be able to add another 13,400 beds into the system.

State Minister for National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination Saira Afzal Tarar said the intervention would improve the existing bed-to-patient ratio.

The new hospitals would enhance the bed-to-patient ratio to more than 0.7 hospital beds per thousand patients, she said.

The proposed sites for 500-bed hospitals in Punjab are Rajanpur, Jhang, Bhakkar, Sadiqabad and Rawalpindi while 250-bed hospitals will be built in Burewala, Ahmedpur East, Kot Addu, Taunsa, Sahiwal (Sargodha), Pasroor and Layyah.



Separate 500-bed hospitals will be constructed in the three Sindh cities of Jacobabad, Mirpurkhas and Badin while 250-bed hospitals will be set up in Islamkot, Nausharo Feroze and Meher districts.

In K-P, 500-bed hospitals will be built in Haripur and Charsadda; while 250-bed hospitals will be constructed in Battagram, Hangu, Fata and Chitral. Another two hospitals are planned in Garhi Habibullah and Kaghan with a 100-bed capacity.

In Balochistan, 100-bed hospitals will be constructed in Hub, Naushki, Chaman and Panjgur; 250-bed hospitals in Khuzdar, Loralai and Sibi while a 500-bed hospital will be built in Quetta.

In Gilgit-Baltistan, 250-bed hospitals will be constructed in Skardu and Gilgit, a 100-bed hospital in Karimabad (Hunza) while another 50-bed hospital at Ghanche.



In Azad Kashmir, a 250-bed hospital will be constructed in Muzaffarabad, separate 100-bed hospitals are planned in Rawlakot, Kotli and Athmuqam and a 50-bed hospital will be set up at Leepa.

Land will also be allocated for three hospitals in the federal capital.

According to the prime minister’s office, the selection of districts for the proposed hospitals was made in view of availability of health infrastructure across the provinces.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 11^th, 2016.