Under-construction children’s hospital: PPA-KP concerned over halting of funds by Centre

PESHAWAR: The Pakistan Paediatric Association Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (PPA-KP) has expressed concern over the halting of funds for the under-construction children’s hospital in the provincial capital by the federal government, fearing it would endanger lives of thousands of children in the terrorism-hit Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The PPA-KP chapter in a statement said that the completion of children’s hospital associated with the Khyber Institute of Child Health (KICH) Peshawar has already been delayed due to lack of funds from the federal government, saying a recent decision of the central government to stop funding would have extreme impact on the only child institute of the province.

“For the record, there is no dedicated children’s hospital in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. And parents are forced to endure a lot of physical and financial hardships to secure specialised care for their sick children in other provinces. This vital project has already experienced delays due to inconsistent funding. Now, as the construction nears its final phases, this strange and illogical decision by the federal government will severely impede the timely operationalisation of the hospital,” said a noted paediatrician, Prof Mohammad Hussain, president PPA-KP, explained.

He said PPA-KP urged the federal government to take note of the suffering of children in KP and immediately reverse the decision and ensure the smooth and timely release of the remaining funds to KICH.

“Additionally, we call on the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to urgently address this issue with the federal government. If this decision is not reversed, the PPA-KP will consider all options, including public protests”. said the PPA-KP president.