PESHAWAR: A lack of funds has been hampering operationalisation of Children Hospital Mardan, claim officials. They told Dawn that wards were operational in the hospital’s OPD space, while work was still under way on the main building supposed to house all specialised services.

The officials said the project awaited government funds.

They said the current cold winter days had highlighted the acute deficiency of beds as three to four children with flu and pneumonia complaints were adjusted to one bed.

The officials said at times, shortage of supplemental oxygen adversely affected patient care.

Officials insist project’s completion will ease patient burden on Peshawar’s hospitals

They said paediatricians had to arrange three-way nasal prongs to save lives.

The officials said when the hospital was in place, there would be around 20 subspecialties of child diseases to the relief of the people from Mardan and nearby Charsadda, Malakand, Dir, Bajaur and Nowshera districts where specialised pediatric services were unavailable.

They said the government had approved a 200-bed children hospital on the premises of Mardan Medical Complex in 2011 and it was supposed to become fully functional by 2014.

The officials said civil work of three floors had been completed with installation of heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems.

They noted that the existing 50-bed children and 45-bed nursery units at MMC were overburdened due to the influx of patients.

The officials said the hospital, being built over 40 kanals of land in the second populous district of the province, was desperately needed for around one million minor residents.

They said the deadline for completion of work had kept changing in the past but still, the hospital had to be in place.

The officials said that the hospital required the government’s attention as most work had already been completed.

They said the out-patient department of the hospital had become functional, while five lifts and a central cooling and heating system had been installed in the four-storey building, which had a vast basement with a parking capacity for 100 cars.

The officials said the hospital, with five operating theatres, nursery, day-care and thalassaemia centres, needed Rs420 million every year.

They said the facility would play a vital role in reduction of pediatric morbidity and mortality in the province in line with UN’s Millennium Development Goal 4, through adoption of improved preventive, primitive and curative strategies in the field of healthcare.

The officials said the project didn’t get due priority as it was named after former prime minister and PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto.

They insisted that naming government projects after political leaders always suffered when the ruling political party’s rivals came to power.

The officials said work on the hospital began during the ANP-PPP provincial government when even then, it didn’t get due funds.

They said once the hospital became operational, its strength of beds could be increased from 200 to 400.

The officials said the project required 1,125 staff workers to become fully functional for which a letter had been sent to the government.

They said the functional hospital would ease patient burden on Peshawar’s Lady Reading Hospital, Hayatabad Medical Complex and Khyber Teaching Hospital that had overburdened child health departments.

Published in Dawn, January 2nd, 2026