Maternity hospital still a pipe dream

Under construction since 16 years, 200-bed Rawalpindi Mother and Child Hospital has become refuge for stray animals

RAWALPINDI:

The 200-bed Rawalpindi Mother and Child Hospital, under construction for over 16 years, now stands abandoned and in disrepair.

Despite being structurally completed over the last three years, work on the hospital has come to a standstill, and the once-promising facility has turned into a desolate building overrun by wildlife and criminals.

The hospital, which spans an area of 130 kanals, was designed to include 17 operating theatres and an outpatient department (OPD). However, due to years of neglect, the hospital's windows and doors have been stripped of their glass and metal, with thieves making off with valuable materials. The building has now become a refuge for bats, rats, snakes, and stray animals. Drug addicts have also taken shelter in the facility, adding to the deterioration of the structure.

Wild vegetation, including grass and marijuana up to six feet tall, now covers the hospital grounds, contributing to the overall state of neglect. Open and broken water tanks on the property have become breeding grounds for dengue mosquitoes, further exacerbating the health risks associated with the abandoned building.

Originally projected to cost Rs2 billion when construction began in 2008 under the tenure of then-prime minister Shaukat Aziz, the project has faced multiple delays and cost escalations. After ten years of inactivity, the estimated cost had ballooned to Rs9 billion. Now, after another three years of suspension, the cost has surged beyond Rs15 billion.

If construction does not resume this year, experts warn that the final cost could reach Rs18 billion by the end of 2025, due to rising prices of building materials, wood, steel, and medical machinery.

The hospital was initially halted when the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) took power at the federal level and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) formed the provincial government in Punjab in 2008. After a decade of stagnation, the project was revived by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government in 2018 under the supervision of then-interior minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed. Construction of the hospital's four stories, along with the OPD and hostels for doctors and nurses, was completed between 2018 and 2022.

An inauguration of the OPD was planned for June 30, 2022, with the full hospital expected to be operational by August 14 of that year. Modern medical equipment, including testing machines, had already been purchased for the OPD.

However, following another change in government in April 2022, the project was abruptly halted once again by the newly formed Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) administration. Medical staff, including doctors and nurses who had been appointed for the OPD, were either replaced or dismissed, while security guards were also removed, leaving the building vulnerable to vandalism and theft.

Millions of rupees' worth of furniture and equipment have been stolen, including a newly installed modern lift.

Former federal parliamentary secretary Sheikh Rashid Shafiq, when asked about the hospital's status, expressed frustration over the project's discontinuation due to political changes. He suggested that the hospital be renamed 'Nawaz Sharif Hospital' if needed, but emphasised the importance of completing such a crucial public-interest project.

The health department, when contacted for a comment on the matter, declined, stating that the issue was beyond its jurisdiction.