PESHAWAR: The pledge by government to release Rs2.1 billion required funds in two instalments raised the hopes of launching the first-ever 300-bed dedicated Peshawar Children Hospital in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The first instalment of Rs1 billion will be released this week while Rs1.1 billion will be provided to the hospital by mid-July.

The chief minister’s office has promised to releases Rs2.1 billion in two instalments, including Rs1 billion by Tuesday and Rs1.1 billion in July, after approval of budget, according to Dr Mohammad Rafiq, the chairman of Board of Governors, Khyber Institute of Child Health and Children Hospital.

“I was severely upset because the government has been dragging feet on the release of funds for the hospital but later I received a call from chief minister’s office that the funds will be released. It will pave the way for making operational the hospital that remained in limbo for more than one decade,” he told this scribe.

He said that the government would release Rs1 billion in the current week but would issue a confirmation letter regarding the provision of Rs1.1 billion by July so that the hospital administration could place order for procurement of equipment.

Work on the facility was started 13 years ago

“If everything goes as per promise of government, the hospital will become operational by August 1 this year,” said Dr Rafiq.

He said that they would issue recruitment orders of executives for which interviews had already been completed but issuance of appointment letters was delayed owing to wait for release of funds.

The BoG chairman said that opening of Peshawar Children Hospital, affiliated with Khyber Institute of Child Health (KICH), had been started by federal government 13 years ago but snail paced financing took painfully long time to complete it.

He said that federal government was still to release the remaining Rs2.1 billion that would be retained by provincial government. “This is bridge financing by provincial government that will lead to make the hospital operational,” he said.

Last year, the government declared KICH and its affiliated Peshawar Children Hospital as medical teaching institution (MTI) to speed up its launch but lack of funds was standing in the way of making the facility operational.

Dr Rafiq, who has experience of working on senior positions in health department and UN agencies, said that he and his other colleagues had accepted the membership of BoG to fast-track the children hospital. He said that most of them were disappointed and about to resign but the latest development about provision of funds was refreshing as finally the hospital would start operations.

“We are well on the way to achieve the goal as governments will giveRs5 billion as operational cost from the Rs80 billion funds approved for all MTIs,” he said. He added that lack of funds had led to rise in the cost of equipment but once the hospital was in place, it would serve as an umbrella for the entire healthcare infrastructure in the province.

Dr Rafiq said that doctors, nurses and paramedics from all over the province would get training in the hospital and the ultimately beneficiaries would be patients at hospitals in districts. It will open doors of postgraduate training to doctors in sub-specialties for which the people, who can afford presently, visit other provinces. With the passing of time the hospital will become centre of excellence not only for this province but also for healthcare providers from other provinces.

He said that children, who were half of the province’s population, required the best healthcare services. He hoped that once the hospital became operational, donor organisations would help to improve its services as they were interested in enhancing child health services.

Published in Dawn, June 23rd, 2026