Limited funding: Centre accused of delaying construction of children’s hospital in K-P

Work at a standstill as contractor remains unpaid

PESHAWAR: The children of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa will have to wait a little bit longer to get the paediatric hospital announced in 2012.  Funds from the federal government for the project have not been received since 2013.

Construction of the Bashir Bilour Children Memorial Hospital in Peshawar was announced in 2012 by former president Asif Ali Zardari, along with three other projects in Sindh. The projects were announced under president’s special development initiative programme.



The projects in Sindh, however, are on their way towards completion as of now whereas the construction of the hospital in K-P was at a standstill since funds have not been issued after the 2013 general elections.

“I don’t know why they are not releasing the funds, but what I have come to know is that they want to let Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) down in the province,” a high-ranking official told The Express Tribune.

He added the federal government had announced the hospital would be renamed after an Army Public School massacre (APS) victim.

“Rs1 billion was supposed to be spent on the project.” However, the contractor had not received payments after 14% of the building was constructed. Staff members and doctors have been trained for the 250-bed hospital but the building has not been completed in three years.

K-P Minister for Health Shahram Khan Tarakai could not be contacted despite repeated attempts.

This hospital, when constructed, would cater to the needs of children, with over 11 specialized units such as paediatric trauma, orthopaedics, surgery, cardiology, gastroenterology, herpetology, nephrology, or infectious diseases.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 3^rd, 2015.