Holy Family readies for renovation

The building of Holy Family Hospital (HFH) – Rawalpindi’s large public sector healthcare facility which was established in 1943 – has started to be evacuated as part of a project of its upgradation and revamping with a cost of Rs2 billion.

In this regard, the Rawalpindi commissioner has also issued a notification to shift all the patients from the HFH to four other hospitals in the city in a phased manner.

With this, the emergency rooms and the operation theatres of the Benazir Bhutto General Hospital and the District Headquarters Hospital are expected to undergo an overload of patients.

In the notification, issued by Commissioner Liaquat Ali Chattha, it has been stated that the building should be vacated immediately and handed over to the Punjab Communications and Works Department so that work on the project of upgradation and revamping of the HFH building may be commenced.

Read more: Holy Family to close for four months

The notification said that the dengue ward and other services of the HFH should immediately be shifted to the Red Crescent Hospital whereas the other four hospitals in the city, including the BBH, the DHQ Teaching Hospital, the Rawalpindi Institute of Urology and Transplantation (RIUT) and the Red Crescent Hospital, will also be used for transfer and treatment of patients of the Holy Family Hospital.

It should be noted that the 1100-bed HFH building is facing a plethora of issues including severe dilapidation, leaking of roofs and a decrepit sewage and water supply system.

The hospital building was built four years before the establishment of Pakistan, which was later expanded with new constructions. At present, the building is a very bad shape due to a lack of proper maintenance which is negatively impacting the treatment of patients.

To address this issue, Punjab Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi has approved a grant of Rs2 billion for the upgradation and revamping of the building which will be completed in four months.

According to the notification, the process of vacating the hospital building will be started today [Tuesday] and the building will be completely vacated and handed over to the Punjab C&W Department.

HFH Additional Medical Superintendent, Dr Farooq Kisana, said a plan was being made to evacuate the hospital building and transfer patients to other hospitals. “The hospital building will be vacated in a phased manner so that there are fewer problems in the treatment system,” he explained.

Also read: ‘Overburdened’ BBH to get 220 additional beds

On the other hand, BBH Medical Superintendent Dr Tahir Rizvi said the transfer of patients from the HFH will burden the BBH as well as the DHQ Hospital. “The highest workload will fall on the operation theatres and the emergency rooms, which will cause problems in surgeries,” he warned. “A plan is being prepared to transfer the HFH patients to four other hospitals,” he said.

Rawalpindi Medical University Vice-Chancellor Prof Muhammad Omer said the upgradation and revamping of the HFH building became inevitable as it had been delayed for a long time. “Due to the rapid decay of the hospital building, not only the patients but the doctors were also facing extreme difficulties,” he said. “The work on the project will be completed within four months after which the HFH will be made functional again,” he added.

Following the repair and reconstruction, the hospital would get new beds, while the 15 operating rooms, the emergency department, OPD wards and others would be completely renovated. The plan also includes the provision of clean drinking water for patients.

The HFH dates back to 1943 with its old as well as new buildings being dilapidated and in desperate need of repair. Staff, patients and attendants at the hospital complained about leaky roofs and broken walls, while most of the departments presented a sorry picture. The hospital with 1,100 beds is the largest public healthcare facility in the garrison city and witnessed a high footfall of patients.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 18^th, 2023.