HARIPUR, April 27: The 200-beded District Headquarters Hospital, Haripur, a belated project of the health department, is ready to be commissioned, partially though, with the revised structural arrangement.
The NWFP Chief Minister Akram Khan Durrani will inaugurate the first phase of the health facility on Tuesday, official sources told Dawn here on Sunday.
It was reported that although necessary equipment had been purchased, and the appointment of staff — 14 medical officers, a cardiologist, psychiatrist, orthopaedic surgeon, pathologist and over 100 nurses and class fours — has yet to be finalized, the government was all set to make the hospital functional.
According to the revised design of the first phase, which would have C-grade status initially, will consist of an OPD pathology, medical, children, casualty (partially) ICU, X-ray departments and a 35-beded non-surgical ward.
Rupees 56.22 million have so far been spent on this phase, and Rs200 million are required for the next phase, the sources added.
The construction of the hospital was started in January 1995 by the then chief minister of NWFP Aftab Khan Sherpao.
Divided in three phases, the phase 1, were to be completed by June 1996 as per schedule.
While phase 2 comprising in-patients, administration block, 200-beded wards, operation theatre, ICU, staff bungalows, nursing hostel, landscaping and other infrastructure is to be readied by 1998.
Facility of MRI and related essentials are part of phase 3, which would be completed over the next with years.
Ironically, the change of government which caused the suspension of funds for the project, deprived the people of Haripur of a much-needed health facility for over eight years, beside the increase in the construction cost.
About, the Rs200 million phase 2, the sources said that the PC 1 had already been approved and the project executing agency C&W had been provided Rs163.31 million. Work on this phase would start soon.
To a question the source said that since the departments of medicine, children, laboratory, causality and OPD (partially) were being shifted to the new building the department had decided to retain ENT, Eye, gynaecology, surgical and emergency (partially), in the old 72-beded hospital.