Polyclinic’s new block may be built elsewhere

Apex court disposes of suo moto case on land for hospital’s extension

ISLAMABAD: An extension to one of the largest tertiary care hospitals in the federal capital could be built in a different sector of the city after the hospital’s administration said that they had proposed to find a site other than the adjoining Argentina Park to build it.

On hearing this, a three-member bench of the Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed, disposed of its suo moto notice (taken by former chief justice Saqib Nisar) on the extension of the hospital.

Hearing the case of extending the Federal Government Hospital (Polyclinic) on Thursday, Justice Ijazul Ahsan said that neither the hospital’s administration nor the federal government had opted to challenge a verdict of the Islamabad High Court (IHC).

The IHC last year had declared as illegal the use of land in the adjoining Argentina Park to build the extension.

Chief Justice Ahmed remarked that the actions of the hospital’s management betray the fact that they have no objection to IHC’s verdict.

The Additional Attorney General asserted that senior officials of Polyclinic were not satisfied with IHC’s decision, but they did not challenge it.

At this, the CJP Ahmed inquired whether the hospital’s management does not want to extend the facility.

At this, Polyclinic’s executive director said that they wanted permission from the Capital Development Authority (CDA) to start work on constructing the expansion of the hospital in the Argentina Park.

Lamenting that the matter has been delayed for several years already and subject to court orders, the official said that they have now suggested building the new block at any location in the federal capital other than the park.

Justice Ahsan remarked whether the hospital management wanted to have half the hospital in its current location and the other half in another sector.

The Polyclinic official responded that they will see when it comes to that but for now, they had suggested building the hospital at another location.

At this, the court observed that the primary reason for taking a suo-moto notice on the matter was to resolve the issue of expanding the hospital.

It subsequently disposed of the case.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 24^th, 2020.