Kiddie care: Five years on, DHQ paediatric ward still incomplete

Unlikely to open before next year; ‘minor deficiencies’ cited for latest delay

RAWALPINDI: District Headquarters Hospital (DHQ) has not been able to make use of the recently-constructed paediatric ward as the provincial building department still has not handed the building over to the hospital administration.

The DHQ administration was supposed to open the ward and start treating children at the facility earlier this year, and over five years after construction on the project started in 2011.

The hospital was set up in 1981, but has never had a separate paediatric wing or department.

According to information gathered by The Express Tribune, building department completed work on the facility and wanted to hand it over to the hospital administration some three months ago.

The medical superintendent (MS) of the hospital, however, pointed out some “minor deficiencies” in the building. The administration asked the building department officials to remove these before handing over the building.

The basement level of the building will house the outpatient department (OPD) for children, while the ground floor would have a 25-bed children’s ward.

Plans to build a separate paediatric department were presented in 2007, when the hospital asked the health department to acquire the private land adjacent to the hospital.

A PC-I for the department was prepared in 2008 and construction work started in 2011 after the land – measuring approximately 10 kanals – was acquired.

The building was funded by the Punjab government through special grants for area MNAs.

Located in the heart of the city, DHQ is the only one of the three allied public teaching hospitals in the city – the others being Holy Family Hospital and Benazir Bhutto Hospital – without a paediatric department.

DHQ Medical Superintendent Dr Khalid Randhawa told The Express Tribune that they had pointed out minor deficiencies such as the placement of grills. He said that he had asked the building department officials to correct these before the hospital took over the building.

He added that the Punjab health secretary had already taken notice of the delays and it was hoped the deficiencies would be removed within month.

Regarding procurement of necessary equipment for the department, Dr Randhawa said the hospital had already purchased most of the equipment required and would obtain the remaining items after taking over the building.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 14^th, 2016.