ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Health Sciences has requested the Capital Development Authority (CDA) for the allotment of 250 kanals along Margalla Avenue for establishment of a hospital.

The ministry through a letter informed the CDA that the Prime Minister Office had directed it for establishing a tertiary care hospital in Islamabad.

“In this context, Chairman CDA is requested for allocation of 250 kanal of land on Margalla Avenue, Islamabad, specially at entry point, for the purpose of establishing a Tertiary Care Hospital in accordance with the direction received from the Prime Minister’s Office,” read the letter.

“The Prime Minister’s Office has emphasized the need for healthcare facilities in jurisdiction of Islamabad, and this allocation will enable us to fulfill this important objective.”

Letter to CDA says PM Office has directed for establishing a tertiary care hospital in Islamabad

The letter, which was issued on April 30 and received by the CDA this week, stated that the proposed location was strategically chosen to ensure accessibility and proximity to city’s population.

The hospital, it said, will cater to the medical need of the residents of Islamabad and surrounding areas, providing quality healthcare services and contributing to the well-being of the community.

When contacted, a deputy director of the CDA said the member planning will decide the fate of the letter.

“We will check and if land is available in the area in question we will allot it to the health ministry otherwise we will explore other options,” he added.

Margalla Avenue was constructed and opened to traffic last year. It starts from GT Road and culminate at D-12 where it is linked with Iran Avenue till the E-11 interchange. Besides old villages such as Sangjani and Shah Allah Ditta in the said area, the CDA has three main residential sectors - C-13, C-14 and C-15 - along this road. Therefore, sources said there is a need for a health facility in the area.

Besides the proposed hospital, a 300-bed hospital project, an expansion of Polyclinic, is also being executed in G-11.

In November last year, then caretaker health minister Dr Nadeem Jan inspected the Polyclinic expansion project and said this hospital will not only benefit the residents of Islamabad and Rawalpindi but also people from Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB).

“Along with the growth in population, there is an increase in diseases and resources to tackle them are limited.

In this context, a revolutionary project has been initiated to reduce the burden on large hospitals,” he had said.

It is relevant to note here that Islamabad has inadequate health facilities. Both the main hospitals - Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) and Polyclinic - are crowded and even some time patients have to share bed in their emergencies. Besides the local population, these hospitals also cater to people of Rawalpindi up to Jhelum, Murree, Galyat, AJK and GB.

Published in Dawn, May 10th, 2024