PESHAWAR: The Khyber Institute of Child Health (KICH) and its affiliated Children’s Hospital in Peshawar, approved by the federal government, are yet to start operations despite lapse of more than 10 years.

Prof Abdul Hameed, a former head of the child health department at Khyber Medical College and Khyber Teaching Hospital, had designed the project aimed at promoting health facilities for children through preventive, curative and rehabilitation services in addition to training of doctors, but it couldn’t see light of the day despite approval of $20 million grant by the Government of Japan and $35 million by the USA, according to sources.

They said that USAID provided Rs750 million high-tech equipment and kits to the institute initially. The government failed to ensure Japan’s representatives of security as they wanted government’s assurance for their security. It was pledged that institute would be handed over to health department after completion.

“Had the government guaranteed security to donors, we would have started full-scale services by now,” official sources told Dawn. They blamed former bureaucrats for depriving children below 18 of their basic right to seek free treatment at a hospital at an institution.

Officials say centre failed to release required funds for project

The Mutahidda Mjalis-i-Aamal government allotted 20 kanals for Children’s Hospital adjacent to KICH, which had been established on a building vacated by French NGO. The government spent Rs500 million on renovation of the building in 2007.

After vanishing of hopes about grants by donors, the federal government, which had pledged Rs 2.209 billion in 2009 for the project, didn’t release appropriate funds to complete the scheme within five years. Only Rs700 million has been released so far for the purpose.

KICH, a training component, has started work at low level while the 200-bed hospital is likely to be completed in June 2019, according to officials. “We need at least Rs500 million per year to be able to accomplish it and start preventive, curative and rehabilitation services in paediatrics,” they added.

The government’s policy of purchasing equipment at the lowest price through bidding also hampered the programmes as the medical equipment ought to be latest and approved by technical people.

Sources said that health department wanted procurement of equipment according to government’s policy through tenders and going for the cheapest rates also delayed it. They said that already civil work in government’s sector was being done by consultant as opposed to a technical committee, which proposed consultancy services to acquire the latest equipment.

Sources said that the ANP government renamed it as Bashir Bilour Children Hospital but didn’t make it functional. They said all provinces, except Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, had specialised children hospitals. They said that children had to be rushed to other cities including Islamabad and Karachi for specialised treatment.

Sources said that several letters by province to the centre for funds not only delayed the project but the cost also soared to over Rs3 billion.

Sources said that work on a children hospital was started in 2010 by the ANP government at a cost of Rs1.6 billion at Mardan Medical Complex but it was not up to a desired level as it started only OPD at a limited level.

Prof Mohammad Yunsas Paracha, acting dean of KICH, told Dawn that 17 super specialties in child health would be started soon. “We are expanding services to district level to collect data about diseases. We are waiting for more academic staff. Some PhDs, we need, aren’t available in the market,” he said.

He said that Board of Governors had been requested for recognition of KICH by Pakistan Medical and Dental Council and Higher Education Commission.

Published in Dawn, August 3rd, 2018