PMLN to revive construction of Cancer Hospital in Islamabad and other projects shelved by PTI
The hospital was supposed to benefit 7,000 poor patients annually, but the government led by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf scrapped the project in January 2019.
The first state-of-the-art cancer hospital is being built in Islamabad by the present government. The decision was announced on Thursday by Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal via Twitter:
Insh’Allah Cancer Hospital in Islamabad will be revived soon.
اس منصوبے کو بحال کیا جائیگا انشاءاللہ https://t.co/ooRc9xbTkT
— Ahsan Iqbal (@betterpakistan) May 12, 2022
According to sources, the establishment of the hospital was initiated during PML-N’s earlier regime. However, when PTI came into power, it shelved the project. Now that PML-N has been elected as the present government again, it’s reviving previously postponed projects.
Ahsan Iqbal’s Statement
Speaking on occasion, Ahsan Iqbal said:
The previous government had shelved several public interest projects initiated by the PML-N government due to political reasons. As a result, people suffered a lot. However, the incumbent government will revive all the pending projects in the public’s best interest. Our top priority is to facilitate the public by reviving the pending projects.
About The Cancer Hospital
The cancer hospital project envisions a 200-bed facility. The previous Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government authorities had sanctioned Rs. 5 billion under the Public Sector Development Programme for the project.
The hospital was supposed to benefit 7,000 poor patients annually, but the government led by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf scrapped the project in January 2019.
The project was ready for launch by the time, and the PWD had prepared a design for constructing a building. The land was allocated for it on the premises of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences.
During the PML-N tenure, even maps had been approved, and consultants had also been hired for the project. However, suddenly, on the directive of former prime minister Imran Khan, the project was shelved.
Why does Pakistan need a Cancer Hospital?
According to experts, Pakistan faces a severe shortage of cancer treatment facilities, and only 10,000 to 15,000 patients can be treated annually. The Health Research Institute (the country’s state-run health statistics agency) exclaimed:
Approximately 2.5 million new cancer cases emerge annually, and 100,000 patients die.
Will PML-N’s cancer hospital be a saving grace for people or another added burden on the economy? Only time will tell.
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