ISLAMABAD: The groundbreaking ceremony of the country’s first public-sector cancer hospital was held at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) on Sunday, which would cost Rs10.8 billion and be completed in June 2025.

The 200-bed hospital will have four storeys in addition to a basement of 49,000 square feet. The building will have an out-patient department (OPD), emergency, male and female wards, gyne ward, blood cancer ward, and a number of other departments.

Project Director Dr Ayesha Isani, who has a PhD in Public Health, told Dawn that the total cost of the project was over Rs10.8 billion, out of which Rs3.4 billion would be spent on the structure and Rs7.4 billion would be spent on the purchase of equipment.

“The hospital would be constructed near the burn centre and it will be the first public-sector cancer hospital in Pakistan. The project was approved by the Central Development Working Party (CDWP) in February this year and construction has been started,” she said.

“Health Minister Abdul Qadir Patel and his team fully support the initiative to turn the project into a reality for the people of Pakistan. Also, there was immense support from Planning and Development Minister Ahsan Iqbal…,” Dr Isani said. She said there will be a provision in the foundation for the expansion of the hospital.

Groundbreaking ceremony held; hospital likely to be completed in June 2025

“The project will include comprehensive cancer treatment facilities, including radiology, pathology, oncosurgery, medical oncology, ICU, and emergency care for cancer patients, genetics and research,” she said.

An official of the Ministry of National Health Services (NHS) said that the PC-I for the scheme was approved in February 2018. The CDWP approved the project for the construction of the hospital building at a total cost of Rs1.99 billion for civil works only.

“Authorisation by the Ministry of Planning was given on March 2, 2018. The defunct Ministry of Capital Administration and Development Division issued administrative approval on June 21, 2018. Accordingly, funds amounting to Rs265 million were allocated during the financial year 2018-19, but not released. The project was then subsequently shelved by the task force on health,” he said.

“The subject scheme was funded during the financial year 2022-23 with an allocation of Rs250 million. The project is planned to be executed in two phases. The scope of work for Phase-I is civil works and electrical works. Phase-II will include procurement of medical equipment, hospital furniture, ambulances, and office furniture.”

The CDWP approved the revised PC-I titled “Establishment of Cancer Hospital in Islamabad (Revised)” amounting to Rs 3.406 billion in its meeting held on Feb 6, 2023. The work will be executed by the PWD, which started in April 2023 with an aim to finish the infrastructure within the project timeline, he said.

“Phase-II has been submitted to the planning ministry and has been approved in principle and the authorisation is awaited so that the plant and machinery component could be installed phase-wise along with the infrastructure,” he said.

Speaking at the foundation stone laying ceremony, Health Minister Abdul Qadir Patel said that the treatment of cancer was the most expensive in Pakistan and claimed that “some people politicised” the project. Mr Patel said that when he took charge of the ministry, Pims employees were on strike because the hospital was privatised by the PTI government. “However, we restored the status of Pims and have been doing health reforms,” he said.

Published in Dawn, July 18th, 2023