KARACHI: The Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (SIUT) Trust signed on Tuesday an agreement with the Pakistan Hotel Development Limited (PHDL) to get the title and possession of Regent Plaza Hotel.

SIUT founder and Director Prof Adib Rizvi, its trustee and financial adviser Shabbar Zaidi, lawyers and accountants representing both parties were present on the occasion.

According to an SIUT press release, Regent Plaza is a landmark four-star multi-storey hotel of Karachi located on Sharea Faisal and surrounded by a number of other known hospitals.

“It is unprecedented in the country that a commercial plot has been bought in order to convert the land into an institution which is aimed towards mitigating the sufferings of the masses.

“The ever-increasing inflow of patients particularly those coming for dialysis has put great pressure on the institute and the paucity of space has forced hospital management to go for a bigger place,” the SIUT explained.

It said that similar units had also been established in Sukkur, Larkana and Nawabshah.

The location of the proposed hospital, it said, was another factor in the minds of decision-makers, as it is located in the heart of Karachi and quite a convenient destination for incoming patients.

“The Regent Plaza Hotel started functioning in the ‘80s with 400 rooms covering an area of over 13,000 square yards. The news of this deal saw the light of day when it came in the media in October last year when the hospital offered to buy the property at a cost of Rs14.5 billion as a part of its hospital expansion programme. The deal was amicably settled between the two parties,” the press release stated.

Published in Dawn, August 7th, 2024