The initial total cost of the project was 2.2 billion rupees, later revised in 2020 and 2021, ultimately reaching 9.7 billion rupees.
PESHAWAR:
The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government has decided to appoint a new board of directors for the province’s only children’s hospital, the Khyber Institute of Child Health (KICH) in Hayatabad, following its recent transformation to a Medical Teaching Institution (MTI) status.
The summary of appointment of board members has been sent to the chief minister for approval.
Sources revealed that KICH has been mired in delays for over 12 years. Initially, the hospital suffered from a lack of federal funding. However, the provincial government has now found funds to complete the project.
Despite this, the civil works suffered setbacks, and even after payments were made eight years ago, the hospital remained stuck between the works and services department and the contractors. The C&W department had requested an additional month for testing and completion, even though the government had planned to open the children’s hospital in December.
According to sources, 80 percent of the construction of the hospital has been completed in the last 12 years. Work on the 290-bed facility, started in 2013, was initially expected to be completed by 2016. The initial total cost of the project was Rs2.2 billion, later revised in 2020 and 2021 due to rising costs, eventually reaching Rs9.7 billion, while the government released only Rs5.2 billion. The completion deadline was extended to June 2023, but lack of funding continued to hamper progress.
The hospital’s development was hampered by funding shortfalls, first from the federal government under the PSDP and then from the provincial government. Nevertheless, biomedical gas systems, a modular operating room, internal sewers as well as heating and cooling systems up to the fourth floor were installed.
Once operational, the hospital will provide emergency OPD services, diagnostic and radiology facilities, pediatric surgery and all sub-specialties of pediatric medicine. Work is also underway to introduce fetal surgery, bone marrow and kidney transplants, as well as pediatric urology.
