RAWALPINDI: Punjab government on Monday released Rs45 million to Benazir Bhutto Hospital (BBH) to complete the renovation work of eye, cardiology and physiotherapy wards.

The renovation work had started early this year with Rs100 million estimated cost. The government has so far spent Rs55 million on the project and after getting Rs45 million, the renovation work will be completed in a month or two.

BBH Medical Superintendent Dr. Tahir Rizvi told Dawn that the eye and cardiology wards would be renovated from the amount. He said that 30 beds each in eye and cardiology wards would provide better facilities to the patients.

He said that the Punjab government had already provided new furniture for wards like beds, chairs and tables.

“Air-conditioners are being installed in the wards on the instructions of the Punjab government,” he said.

He said that ophthalmology and cardiac departments are the main departments of the hospitals and people from across Rawalpindi division, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan came to the hospital where they would now get the best health facilities in the region.

He said the hospital’s 116-bed emergency department has already been renovated while in April, the outpatient department and the psychology department of the hospital were also renovated costing Rs280 million.

After the completion of work in eye and cardiology wards, the hospital will be renovated completely. He expected that the service will be improved in the coming days.

He said more than 2,000 patients daily visited Outpatient Departments while the hospital had facility of more than 600 beds. He said that with renovation work, the new facilities would be available for the patients.

On the other hand, the Punjab government also completed the renovation of thenursinghostelcosting Rs65 million and the College ofNursingat the cost of Rs40 million.

Dr Rizvi said that steps were being taken to provide quality health facilities to the people as well as for the welfare of the medical staff.

For the security of the people and the doctors, he said that CCTV cameras had been installed at emergency and other departments after the brawl between the doctors and the attendants of patients a few years ago.

He said special cell had been formed in the hospital to monitor whether the medicines are being provided to the patients or not. He said that free medicines in the emergency department and in patients departments are being provided on the instructions of Punjab government.

However, he said that there was a dire need to further improve the gynae department as there was rush from Rawalpindi city but patients from other districts also came for the complicated cases.

He said that the tehsils headquarters hospitals and district headquarters hospitals of Attock, Jhelum and Chakwal referred the cases to Rawalpindi and it crowded the hospitals. He said that the government was working to improve the condition of the THQs and Basic Health Units and Rural Health Centres so less rush will observe in the main hospitals of Rawalpindi city.

Published in Dawn, December 31st, 2024