KARACHI: After prolonged delays, obstacles in release of funds and contingency hiccups, the ambitious Benazir Bhutto Trauma Centre project in the Civil Hospital Karachi has finally completed and awaiting a formal opening on Wednesday (today), officials said on Tuesday.

Ruling Pakistan Peoples’ Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah will formally open the trauma centre to function.

The Benazir Bhutto Accident, Emergency and Trauma Centre project was envisaged eight years ago and formally its foundation stone was laid in January 2009. It was originally planned to be completed with Rs2.22 billion by 2012, but inordinate delays increased its cost phenomenally.

Officials said the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) approved the project in a meeting in 2008 with an estimated cost of Rs2.22 billion, but the excessive delays increased the cost twofold.

Originally, the federal government had pledged to share half of the cost of the expenditure on the project with the Sindh government, but soon it backtracked leaving the project faced with incessant delays and rise in actual cost.

Officials elaborated that the federal government after providing only Rs362 million, stopped its funding because the health sector was devolved to the provinces.

They said a 14-storey building had been constructed to house the trauma centre along with a helipad on the rooftop in which four storeys had been allocated for parking of 500 cars and as many motorcycles.

The existing emergency ward of the Civil Hospital Karachi (CHK), along with neurosurgery, intensive care units, critical care units, cardiovascular and maxillofacial and vascular surgery facilities and eye units would be shifted to the trauma centre. A total of 18 operation theatres would be part of the gigantic building.

Officials said initially facilities in seven storeys of the building would be made functional, however, it was still not clear whether the provincial health ministry would run the facility or a separate entity would be formed to run and supervise its day-to-day affairs.

Officials said the teaching staff of the Dow Medical College, which was associated with the CHK, could also be attached to the trauma centre.

Around 200 employees, including doctors, paramedics and supporting staff, are being employed on contract as the authorities would soon advertise the vacancies.

Officials said shortage of funds over the years led to prolonged stoppage of construction work from time to time. The CHK management had run out of funds in 2011-12 and nothing was allocated in the following fiscal year.

However, later funds were directed to the pipeline which enabled the authorities to clear outstanding construction bills and make deals for importing air conditioners and chillers.

Referring to the law-and-order situation of the city and sporadic terrorist attacks, officials said the state-of-the-art trauma centre should have been completed long ago.

Earlier, provincial authorities had given a deadline of July 2014 to the project director to complete it, but 90 per cent construction work could be completed then.

This project will provide state-of-the-art emergency and trauma care facilities to the people.

Published in Dawn, December 23rd, 2015