Court issues notices over Pindi hospital delay

Sources say 16-year-old Mother and Child Hospital project is 95% complete

RAWALPINDI:

The Lahore High Court (LHC)'s Rawalpindi Bench has issued notices to the provincial, divisional and district authorities regarding the prolonged delay in the completion of the state-of-the-art Rawalpindi Mother and Child Hospital and sought an explanation.

The project has been pending for the past 16 years despite the completion of 95% work and its estimated cost skyrocketed from Rs2 billion to over Rs18b.

Justice Mirza Waqas Rauf ordered the Punjab Chief Secretary, the Secretary of Health, the Director General of Health, the Rawalpindi Commissioner, the Deputy Commissioner and the head of the Health Education Authority (HEA) to submit their replies on December 5.

The court summoned the top officials to submit a response and explain the continuous delays in the completion of the hospital. The court further directed them to submit a clause-by-clause reply to the petition filed under Article 199 of the Constitution by Tahaffuz Foundation Pakistan.

Advocate Malik Saleh, representing the petitioner, argued that the 400-bed hospital was initiated in 2008, with an estimated completion time of three years and a cost of Rs2b. Spread across 130 kanals, the hospital was to feature 17 state-of-the-art operation theatres, a basement, and three floors, all of which have been completed.

According to the petitioner, the project was scheduled to be inaugurated on August 14, 2022, with the OPD planned to commence on June 30, 2022. Doctors and nurses had been appointed, but the hospital was closed down on April 10, following the collapse of the then government. Funds were withdrawn, and the appointed staff was sent back. Currently, the hospital is unsecured, with no guards, and its premises are open to unauthorized access.

The petition highlights extensive damage, including stolen windowpanes, iron grills, furniture, and stationery, as well as the disrepair of a new transformer worth millions, now rendered unusable due to rust. The hospital building, abandoned, has turned into a haven for stray animals and a hub for theft of steel and other materials. The petitioner contended that further delays would lead to increased costs due to rising material prices.

The petition requests the court to hold those responsible for the delay and order the release of funds for the hospital's rehabilitation and security of premises with permanent guards.

The petition seeks to make the hospital operational within three to six months and calls for strict legal action against the waste of Rs18b in public funds.

The court accepted the petition for hearing, issued notices to all respondents, and emphasised that the project is of public welfare and funded by taxpayers.

It's worth mentioning that the project was initiated by former Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed as a major health initiative but faced repeated delays under successive PML-N governments, leading to escalating costs.