RAWALPINDI: The Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB) has completed upgrading Cantonment General Hospital (CGH) and opened it to residents of Rawalpindi and Chaklala cantonments.

CGH was built as a 500-bed hospital in the 1980s but only 80 beds were being used for the last three decades due to the non-availability of funds.

RCB spokesperson Qaiser Mehmood told Dawn the hospital has been upgraded- with the efforts of Dr Saima Shah, now director ML&C Rawalpindi and her team- so that it can be used as a 500-bed, modern teaching hospital recognised by the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council.

“The hospital is being fully furnished with the latest electronic medical equipment on the way from Japan and highly qualified and well experienced physicians and surgeons already selected on merit. The deployment of administrative staff has already been done,” he said.

He said residents will be facilitated with the availability of such a grand and modern facility, with prices of medical treatment having been fixed by the Cantt boards. He said this will be the largest and most modern CGH in all the Cantt areas of the country.

Dismissing some of the negative rumours about the upgrading of the hospital and the worries about existing jobs, Mr Mehmood said the process of improving the hospital will continue.

Published in Dawn, July 30th, 2018