Afridi sets deadline for hospital upgrades
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Muhammad Sohail Afridi has directed completion of the restoration and upgradation of the province's Secondary Care District Headquarters (DHQ) hospitals by the end of the current financial year under all circumstances, making it clear that any further delay in this important public welfare project will not be tolerated.
Chairing a high-level meeting at the Chief Minister's House Peshawar to review progress on the project, Afridi instructed all relevant departments to accelerate work on the scheme and ensure its timely completion.
The meeting thoroughly discussed the progress made so far, issues being faced, and the way forward, while officials briefed the Chief Minister on various aspects of the project.
The Chief Minister directed that hospitals where development work is relatively behind should be given priority and completed on an urgent basis so that the public does not face any further delay in accessing modern and quality healthcare facilities.
He emphasized that all obstacles hindering the project should be immediately identified and removed, adding that unnecessary delays in any form would be unacceptable.
Afridi announced that a follow-up review meeting on the project would be held after three months, by which time visible and substantial progress must be evident.
He also stressed that along with the restoration and upgradation of DHQ hospitals, the establishment of the proposed Health City is equally essential and remains among the top priorities of the provincial government. He instructed officials to further accelerate work on the Health City project so that it could be given practical shape at the earliest.
The Chief Minister said the provincial government is not only spending significant resources on the rehabilitation and upgradation of existing hospitals and health centers but is also paying full attention to new projects like the Health City to meet the growing needs of the health sector and provide people with modern, quality, and sustainable healthcare facilities.
He directed that all necessary steps be taken for the early completion of other ongoing health projects, including the Khyber Institute of Child Health, and assured that the provincial government would extend every possible support in this regard.
Earlier, briefing the meeting, officials informed that four different PC-1s worth Rs33.085 billion have been approved for the restoration and upgradation of 32 District Headquarters hospitals across the province.
They added that the procurement of modern medical equipment worth Rs2.55 billion has been completed and the equipment has already been supplied to the concerned hospitals. The infrastructure designs for the hospitals have also been approved, and civil works are expected to begin soon.