LAHORE: Prolonged construction work on a 900-metre stretch of the Nishtar Road between the Burn Unit and Nishtar Flyover has turned access to the Nishtar Hospital into an ordeal for thousands of patients, attendants and healthcare workers, with ambulances frequently trapped in traffic, dust and noise adding to the misery of those seeking treatment.

Despite the passage of three months since the Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) started laying sewerage lines on the road, neither the civic agency, the National Highway Authority (NHA) nor the district administration has been able to ensure early completion of the project or provide an effective traffic management plan, leaving one of south Punjab’s busiest healthcare facilities vulnerable to disruption.

Nishtar Hospital receives 4,000 to 5,000 outpatients and around 3,000 emergency cases every day. Official data show that the hospital treated 885,124 OPD patients and 748,699 emergency patients in 2025. It admitted 833,737 patients and carried out 41,187 surgeries during the year, reflecting the importance of uninterrupted access to the facility.

Hospital authorities say around 8,000 to 10,000 people use the road daily. Apart from Nishtar Hospital, the route serves several private hospitals, pharmacies, hostels and residential colonies.

Wasa managing director says the road is expected to be completed within a month

Nishtar Hospital Medical Superintendent Rao Amjad Ali Khan told Dawn that patients, visitors and hospital employees had been facing immense difficulties due to the under-construction road. “Ambulances remain stuck in traffic, sometimes for hours, and patients are unable to reach the emergency ward on time,” he said.

He said the continuous noise of vehicles and horns, coupled with dust generated by the excavation work had been creating problems for patients, doctors and staff. “Patients admitted to wards and those visiting OPDs are suffering due to the dust and noise pollution. We urge Wasa and the district administration to take immediate measures to resolve the issue,” he said.

A senior doctor at the hospital, requesting anonymity, told Dawn that the OPD and the emergency gate face the under-construction section of the road. He alleged that faults in the initial installation of sewerage pipelines resulted in the removal of some pipes and repeated excavation prolonged the work and was causing inconvenience for patients and healthcare workers.

“The project has consumed three months, but there is no visible urgency on the part of the authorities despite the fact that thousands of patients are visiting the hospital daily,” he said.

Students residing in hostels near the hospital, owners of pharmacies and people living in adjoining colonies complained that traffic congestion had become a routine affair. They said vehicles remained stranded for long periods, while dust and noise had made life miserable.

A senior NHA official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the carpeting of the road would be carried out after completion of the sewerage work. He said the tendering process had been completed, but funds had not yet been released, causing delays in execution of the project.

However, Wasa Managing Director Faisal Shoukat told Dawn that installation of the sewerage pipelines had been completed a week ago and termed the work technically challenging. He said the old sewerage and water supply lines had been laid without proper planning and their removal and replacement required additional time.

He added that the NHA was currently excavating the road to lay sand and crushed-stone base before carpeting, and hoped that the road would be completed within a month. Replying to a query about funds for the construction of the road, he said that he did not know about the release of funds.

However, commuters and hospital officials questioned why the authorities failed to devise a traffic diversion plan or expedite the project despite knowing that the route provided access to a major tertiary-care hospital.

Published in Dawn, June 24th, 2026