Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is likely to inaugurate the Pak-China Friendship Hospital in Islamabad on October 27.
The 250-bed facility in Chak Shahzad was originally built as an isolation hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic. It has now been renamed and will reopen as a general hospital serving residents of the area.
Renamed on PM’s Directions
The hospital was renamed the Pak-China Friendship Hospital on the instructions of the Prime Minister.
According to sources, the Ministry of National Health Services and the Isolation Hospital and Infectious Treatment Centre (IHITC) had initially decided to name it Margalla Hospital.
Federal Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal told The News that the name was changed in recognition of China’s contribution. “The hospital was built with Chinese assistance, and the prime minister has directed that it should be named Pak-China Friendship Hospital,” he said.
General Hospital Under PPP Model
The health ministry and the IHITC have decided to run the facility as a general hospital. Its isolation facility will be operated under a public-private partnership (PPP).
The health ministry had earlier signed an agreement with the Indus Hospital & Health Network (IHHN) for the management of the isolation facility.
The development comes weeks after plans were announced for a new 167-bed hospital in Islamabad offering free treatment.
Built With Chinese Grant During COVID-19
The hospital was set up in 2020 during the first wave of COVID-19. China donated $4 million for the project.
It was built by the Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) in collaboration with the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and the National Institute of Health (NIH) in 40 days. The total construction cost was reported at around Rs. 980 million.
Then prime minister Imran Khan inaugurated the facility on July 9, 2020. However, after the pandemic ended, the hospital was deactivated due to operational challenges, including a shortage of medical staff.
Earlier, PM Shehbaz Sharif inaugurated a modern cancer hospital in Azad Kashmir.
Source: ARY News
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