Govt okays Rs360m for gynae, paeds wards of HFH

Amount will be spent on new equipment, beds, and infrastructure

RAWALPINDI: Punjab government as part of budget allocations has approved Rs360 million for revamping Gynaecology and Paediatrics departments of Holy Family Hospital (HFH), Rawalpindi.

The approved amount will be spent on new electro-medical equipment, changing of beds and improving healthcare system in both the departments, HFH Medical Superintendent (MS) Dr Nasir Mehmood said.

He said that the process of approval for setting up a trauma centre of Holy Family Hospital was also under way. The emergency ward of the hospital needs to be upgraded to a trauma centre.

Punjab government has set aside Rs600 million for the project for establishing a trauma centre, Dr Mehmood said.

The schemes have been approved in order to provide relief to patients visiting both departments who often complain of shortage of beds and lack of proper facilities, he said.

Similarly, the trauma centre project would be started as all three big hospitals of Rawalpindi have no proper trauma centre and the limited capacity in emergency wards make things adverse for patients, the MS said.

He said that machinery including city scan and ultrasound machines were operative however the revamping of department as well as construction of a new trauma centre would improve healthcare services to the patients.

As many as 100 bathrooms would be renovated while 180 new employees would be inducted to improve sanitation.

Khanpur Dam

The budget season will also bring good news for the parched localities of the twin cities.

After a period of 2.5 years, the ministry of planning and development has finally approved funds of Rs58 million for third phase of Khanpur Dam Water Supply Scheme project.

Around 90% work of project was completed earlier while only 10% of it was halted as contractors’ dues were not cleared by the controlling authority of the project, Capital Development Authority (CDA), due to which underground and overhead water tanks could not be linked with water supply system.

Presently, Rawalpindi Cantonment Board was getting 26 million gallons per day (MGD) from the scheme, while Chaklala Cantonment Board was receiving 9MGD.

The completion of phase three would increase water storing capacity due to which problem in water supply would also end. Over the years, both cantonment boards had requested the CDA through formal platforms to complete the project but the CDA lent a deaf ear to it.

As part of the third phase, the supply network has been passed through railway crossing as required from where it would be linked with underground and overhead tanks in cantonment areas after passing it through area of Morgah.

The sources said that working would soon kick-off after clearing dues of the contractors.

Water supply restored

Water was flowing in the pipelines of Noorani Mohalla again, after a weeks-long wait.

The water supply to the area which falls in the limits of Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB) was restored after a meeting of the union council chairman with Railways Minister Sheikh Rasheed. Residents of Noorani Muhalla, a neighbourhood of Tench Bhata, said that water supply to half of the neighbourhood was shut days before Eidul Fitr.

The residents including social activist Haji Muhammad Iqbal told that the residents of area were longing for water long before Eid. They said that the matter of unjust water supply was brought in knowledge of RCB Secretary Qaiser Mehmood, after which tube-well number 77 was turned on using an alternate generator and thus the water supply was restored.

Haji Muhammad Iqbal and other residents expressed gratitude with RCB and said that the residents had now taken a sigh of relief. They further demanded the administration that water supply to Noorani Mohalla with a day interval should continue while duration should also be extended in order to cater needs of residents.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 11^th, 2019.