May 20, 2008	Tuesday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 14, 1429

KARACHI, May 19: Civil Hospital Karachi authorities are confident that work on the hospital’s accident and emergency centre and ancillary services complex project, which repeatedly hit snags during the last two years, will be finally started in the first week of August.

The Rs1.4 billion trauma centre project was announced about three years back. Its cost will be equally shared by the federal and provincial governments. However, the project failed to attain any progress because of bureaucratic hindrances and controversies over the proposed site. Last time the project’s plan was changed on the instructions of the governor at a meeting on January 24, 2008. The latest location decided for the accident and emergency centre is a site on Chand Bibi Road where neurosurgery and ophthalmology wards of the CHK are presently functioning. The proposed project, an earthquake-proof building with modern equipment, will be built on a piece of land measuring about 7,000 square yards. Unlike the 11-storey building plan as shown in the original PC-1, three more floors have been added to create additional space for parking. In addition to the third, fourth, fifth and sixth floors of the complex, a portion of the second floor will also be used for parking.

With a helipad planned on its rooftop, the complex comprised basement and ground plus 12-storeys, says Hayat Kemal, the project director.

Shifting of wards

Besides bureaucratic hurdles, he says, delay in vacating eight flats and a bungalow by the city district government of Karachi as well as some other problems hindered the project’s execution. However, he is confident that time has come quite close for its practical implementation, as he says the problem of flats occupancy has lately been solved. “The old construction is now being dismantled,” says Mr Kemal, adding that shifting of the CHK’s eye and neurosurgery wards is in the final stage so that work on the project can kick off.

“We have planned the shifting in the first week of July. The two departments will be relocated at the Sindh Services Hospital premises, off M.A. Jinnah Road, where the existing buildings are being renovated with an addition of some floors,” he says.

By the end of July, he says, tendering for civil works of the trauma centre will be completed and work order will be issued to contractors.

Completion time

The project is likely to be completed by early 2011. The federal government has so far released Rs112.5 million, which is lying unutilised, he says, while adding that Rs40 million of the total amount (i.e. Rs50 million) released by the Sindh government will go to make the payments to consultants and contractors for the relocation of eye and neurosurgery wards to the services hospital during this fiscal year.

Being optimistic about the release of funds in future as well, he hopes that the federal and provincial governments will continue to patronise the project and not go for any cut in the promised allocations as he is given to understand through some statements regarding a massive curtailment in PSDP funds.

The trauma centre is being established to provide treatment facilities to about 110,000 emergency patients every year, while about 1,500 patients will be offered surgical intensive care and about 2500 patients will be extended medical intensive care facilities annually. According to the plan, all departments of the civil hospital linked to acute emergency will be housed in the proposed complex to ensure better and coordinated services.