ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday inaugurated the 250-bed Pak-China Friendship Hospital at Chak Shahzad, gifted by China, that had remained unused since the Covid-19 epidemic in 2020.

Speaking on the occasion, the prime minister announced that the hospital, to be run by Indus, a private organisation, will provide free medical treatment to patients.

Expressing gratitude to Chinese President Xi Jinping for donating the hospital during the pandemic, the prime minister said that, unfortunately, the hospital was closed after Covid-19.

Without naming it, the premier lashed out at the last PTI government and said: “The hospital was very effective during Covid 19 and the moment Covid was over the hospital was made completely redundant. This is one of the many painful stories of lack of care of poor and helpless people.”

“When the hospital was completely closed, imagine how our Chinese brother had felt about the hospital as it was gifted to Pakistan from the hard earned Chinese money. This is one of the examples of indifferent attitude and lack of concern and people were suffering from diseases. The hospital was closed in 2020 so I apologise for its revival after a gap of many years,” he added.

“It (revival of the hospital) was not my responsibility but another government which had titled it Margalla Hospital. I rejected it and thought that the hospital should be named as Pak-China Friendship Hospital,” the prime minister said. “The hospital will cater to patients not only from Islamabad but other nearby region,” he added.

The PM said the government had revived the hospital and handed it over to Indus management with a promise that 100 per cent free medical treatment will be given to the patients who will come from any part of the country.

Revival of the hospital located in Chak Shahzad marked a new phase in the utilisation of a healthcare facility built with Chinese assistance to improve access to medical services in Islamabad and surrounding areas.

The hospital has been renamed Pak-China Friendship Hospital in recognition of China’s financial contribution to its construction. The facility was previously named Margalla Hospital.

Originally established as the Isolation Hospital and Infectious Treatment Centre (IHITC) during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, the hospital was constructed by the Frontier Works Organisation (FWO), in collaboration with the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and the National Institute of Health (NIH) in just 40 days.

As per sources, China provided a grant of $4 million for the project, while the total construction cost was estimated at around Rs980 million. The facility was inaugurated in July 2020 to provide isolation and treatment services for patients suffering from Covid-19 and other infectious diseases.

Located near the National Institute of Health (NIH), the hospital spans approximately 40 kanals and comprises patient wards, laboratories, administrative offices and other essential infrastructure. However, it remained underutilised amid operational challenges and shortages of medical staff.

To make the facility fully functional, the federal government adopted a public-private partnership model and selected the Indus Hospital and Health Network (IHHN) to manage and operate the hospital.

On July 31, the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination signed agreements with the IHHN for the management and operation of the hospital and the Regional Blood Centre in Islamabad, following approval of the arrangement by the federal cabinet.

Published in Dawn, October 30th, 2026