PESHAWAR, April 23: The Haripur Tehsil headquarters hospital is yet to be commissioned as the district headquarters hospital owing to delay in the purchase of instruments, despite allocation of money, health officials told Dawn on Wednesday.

“The district government released Rs12 million in July last year for the purchase of instruments for the DHQ hospital but the district coordination officer was unable to buy them,” said an official and added that the allocation would lapse if the funds were not used by June 30.

DCO Capt Jehanzeb sent three letters to the provincial health department asking it to purchase the instruments, but was told that he was responsible under the Local Government Ordinance, 2001, to purchase the machinery.

The DCO floated tenders for the purpose thrice, which were approved, but he did not take measures for the purchase, alleged the official.

The building was completed two years ago and the only hurdle in shifting of the hospital was lack of instruments, the official said and added that the chemists and laboratory owners near the old hospital might be hindering the process.

The chief minister was supposed to inaugurate the hospital in February, said the official.

The building for the 200-bed hospital was completed at a cost of  Rs120 million.

The people had to take the patients in serious condition to Abbottabad or Rawalpindi as the old hospital was unable to cater to the needs of the two million people in the district, he said.

The official said the condition of the new building was deteriorating because of lack of maintenance.