New Capital hospital block could face delays

Authority directs to use additional labour to speed up work

ISLAMABAD:

Construction of an additional, five-storey block at the Capital Hospital could face some delays after its regular patient departments reopened this month.

Operated by the Capital Development Authority (CDA), the apex civic agency of the federal capital had last September started work on the Rs168 million project to build an additional block at the hospital.

However, work on the project briefly came to a halt due to the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic. When the government reopened the construction sector, work on the project resumed.

With outpatient departments (OPDs) closed due to the pandemic, work was carried out in double shifts to complete around 30 per cent of work on it.

Officials said that the framework of the basement and the first floor has been laid while the shuttering work for the second floor is in progress which is expected to be completed in a few weeks.

But with the OPDs reopening for patients, construction work has been limited to the time when the OPDs are shut or when the hospital has a relatively lower inflow of patients.

To ensure a high pace of work, the CDA has directed the Works Wing double the labour involved so that the project could be completed within the

The engineering wing has been directed to effectively monitor the quality and pace of work on the project, while arrangements have been made to ensure that patients visiting the hospital do not face any difficulties due to construction activities.

Once built, the five-storey block will have the capacity for 100 beds, will have central air-conditioning, back up generators and other allied facilities. Furthermore, it will feature intensive care units (ICUs) and cardiac care units (CCUs).

Published in The Express Tribune, August 22^nd, 2020.