KOHAT: A PTI lawmaker has called upon the UNHCR to honour its three-year-old pledge of giving Rs130 million for reconstruction of the crumbling women and children hospital here.

Addressing a press conference here on Friday, MPA Ziaullah Bangash said the funding was needed on a priority basis because the hospital constructed in 1951 had completed its life span and could collapse anytime.

He said the lives of patients were under threat and many of its wards and rooms had been shut after it was declared dangerous by the provincial health department a decade back.

Mr Bangash said the UNHCR had promised Rs130 million for the hospital under the RAHA programme.

He said the PTI MPs were in contact with the opposition to take them on board on the important issue concerning all the political parties irrespective of divergent ideologies.

“We have given an alternative option to UNHCR to allocate and release funds only for purchase of necessary machinery. Otherwise they will be forced to launch protests and lock down its offices as a last resort,” he warned.

Mr Bangash said MNA Shehyar Afridi and law minister Imtiaz Shahid Qureshi would call a meeting of opposition parties and devise a strategy in this regard soon.

He recalled that the hospital was converted into a specific women and children hospital in 2003 after the opening of Kohat divisional headquarters hospital KDA.

“We are facing problems keeping the children ward working because there is no space available for the purpose in the KDA teaching hospital and its administration is also not ready to take the responsibility,” he said.

He maintained that a new hospital in Lachi tehsil had yet to start such a facility and the basic health centres in Orakzai and Kurram Agencies were incapable of tackling serious patients.

A UNHCR spokesman, when contacted, told Dawn while requesting anonymity that an understanding was reached between it and the health department about constructing the hospital. Under the plan, the UNHCR would spend Rs130 million through RAHA programme, he added.

“But due to budgetary constraints in the absence of foreign assistance over the past few years UNHCR’s many projects have been disturbed. As soon we get the required money for our missions in the fields of education and health we will honor our pledge,” the official said.

However, he said materialisation of any pledge was subject to availability of funds.

Published in Dawn, June 24th, 2017