SWABI: Work on the under-construction women and children hospital, Kunda, could not be completed within its stipulated time due to paucity of funds, sources said on Saturday.

Sources in the PTI and the communication and works department said that the hospital was a mega project of the ruling party and its leaders were striving for its completion; however, the project has faced delays in its completion.

The hospital is situated about seven kilometers away at the Swabi-Jehangira Road, which will be quite convenient for people of periphery districts to visit hospital for treatment after its completion.

The project was initiated in October 2021 and it was claimed by the then adviser to chief minister and incumbent MPA Abdul Karim that it would be completed within two and a half years, the sources said.

Sources said that the project has faced delays for over two years due to financial difficulties faced by the provincial government.

The 250-bed women and children hospital, spread over 46 kanals was approved during the previous government of PTI, will to be a state-of-the-art hospital in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The hospital will have facilities such as paediatric emergency, gynae emergency, paediatric surgery and paediatric surgical intensive care unit, the sources said.

The hospital was a longstanding demand of the people of Swabi and will help provide treatment facilities to women and children.

Sources, however, said due to the delay in its completion, the estimated cost has jumped from Rs3.38 billion to Rs4.2 billion.

A few weeks back, officials of communication and works department briefed PTI leader Asad Qaiser on the ongoing project, who directed that the construction work should be completed as soon as possible.

Published in Dawn, July 12th, 2026