PESHAWAR, May 15: Chief Minister Ameer Haider Khan Hoti has said that construction work on Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre in Peshawar will start in September this year and the project will cost Rs1.4 billion.

The chief minister said this here on Tuesday during a meeting attended by Senior Minister Bashir Ahmad Bilour and secretaries of finance, health and local government, director general Peshawar Development Authority and chief engineer of SKMC Hospital and Research Centre and representatives of its administration. According to a handout, a detailed briefing was given to the participants on different aspects of the hospital project, funding situation, facilities for cancer treatment, designing of the hospital building and other related matters.

Speaking on the occasion, the chief minister said that serving the ailing humanity was the collective responsibility of all irrespective of political affiliations. He said that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government was committed to smooth completion of the hospital project and would extend full cooperation in this regard as promised.

Mr Hoti also waived off the hospital’s designing fee of Rs3 million payable to the PDA and assured that he was committed to construction of the hospital.

The provincial government had already waived off provincial taxes on the hospital, he said.

The meeting was informed that construction of the hospital building would be completed in three years and certain facilities of cancer treatment would be available upon completion of its first phase. It was also stated that the hospital in Peshawar would have better facilities compared to the Shaukat Khanum Hospital in Lahore. The administration of the hospital declared that it had Rs200 million for the construction work.

The chief minister said that cancer patients from other countries of the region would also benefit from this hospital. —Bureau Report