Bhutto Medical Complex awaits completion

CM orders timely funding, says projects reflect government's vision for education, healthcare access

KARACHI:

Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah chaired a high-level meeting on Thursday to review the progress of two major development projects - the Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Medical Complex near Razzaqabad and the Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Engineering College in Gadap.

Briefing the CM, officials said the 290-bed medical complex along the National Highway would serve residents of Gadap, Malir, Karachi and adjoining areas by providing modern healthcare and training facilities. Initially approved in 2012 at a cost of Rs1.43 billion, the project's revised cost of Rs4.64 billion was cleared by the Provincial Development Working Party in April 2025.

The complex includes nine hospital blocks featuring 200 general ward beds, 20 ICU beds, 10 CCU beds, 10 for dialysis, 10 for thalassemia treatment, and 30 in the emergency unit. Finishing work on the main building's ground and first floors is under way, while kitchen and residential blocks are nearing completion.

Officials informed the CM that the project had faced legal and technical delays between 2013 and 2015, but after approval of the revised PC-I earlier this year, construction has accelerated. Shah directed all departments to ensure full utilization of funds this fiscal year and to coordinate with the Health Department and Karachi Water & Sewerage Board for timely completion.

He said the project would "not only deliver quality healthcare to suburban Karachi but also become an important provincial teaching and research hub."

Reviewing the Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Engineering College in Gadap, Shah was told that the Rs1.55 billion project - spread over 50 acres - began in 2015 after land issues were resolved, with Rs730 million already spent. The campus includes administrative and academic blocks housing civil, electrical, computer and software engineering departments, a library, and auditorium. Residential units and staff quarters are almost complete, while sports and shared facilities such as a dispensary, mosque, and gymnasium remain pending due to irregular fund releases. Shah ordered the Finance and Planning Departments to ensure timely financing. "These projects are not just buildings but symbols of our government's vision to expand access to quality education and healthcare in underdeveloped areas," he said.