Rs1b sought for multi-storey tower at BBH

A proposal to construct a state-of-the-art building housing operation theatres and diagnostic centre at Benazir Bhutto General Hospital, with an estimated cost of Rs1 billion, has been submitted to the Punjab government for approval.

The ongoing renovation project, encompassing the OPD and psychiatric department, has reached 40 per cent completion.

According to sources, the project involves demolishing the existing officer's ward to make way for a multi-storey tower. The basement of the tower will house an officer's ward, while the rest of the building will host operation theatres and a diagnostic centre equipped with the latest machinery, including laboratory facilities, X-ray, and CT scan services.

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The hospital, named after former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, is undergoing upgrades to accommodate the rising patient influx, according to Medical Superintendent Dr Tahir Rizvi. The proposed mega project has been forwarded to the Punjab government for approval, he said.

The project cost the provincial government Rs140 million. Officials at the hospital said the project increased bed capacity from 80 to 114.

Meanwhile, the renovation work on major departments including the OPD and Psychiatric Ward is in progress. The project is expected to cost Rs133 million to the health department. Sources said 40 per cent of the work has been completed so far and the project will end by the last week of January next year.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 11^th, 2023.