MANSEHRA, Jan 11: King Abdullah Teaching Hospital is awaiting the completion of its reconstruction even seven years after destruction by a powerful earthquake.

An official of the hospital, which caters for Mansehra, Torghar and Kohistan, blamed the delay on Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority and the relevant departments.

He said the reconstruction work at the hospital began in Oct 2010 and was scheduled to complete in two years but has yet to be completed.

The official said work on the project was progressing at a snail’s pace.

Medical superintendent Dr Niaz Mohammad confirmed delay in the hospital’s reconstruction.

“Because of this delay, we are putting two patients on a single bed. Currently, we are having a huge influx of patients with respiratory tract infections due to severe cold,” he told Dawn.

He said all blocks and other departments of the hospital had developed big cracks in the 2005 earthquake forcing the management to shift wards to a nursing hostel and outpatient departments to makeshift shelters.

Dr Mohammad said the number of beds at the hospital was reduced to 170 from 300 due to unavailability of space after the shifting of the hospital to a nursing hostel seven years ago.

He said once its reconstruction was completed, the hospital’s current bedding capacity would go up to 400 to the benefit of the people from Hazara division.

The MS said the hospital had 14 sanctioned posts of medical specialists and four of them lied vacant.

“If the current patient rate at OPDs is considered, then there should be at least 20 medical specialists at the hospital,” he said.

Dr Mohammad said there was no post of neurosurgeon, palmonologist and orthopaedic surgeon at the hospital.