Govt okays construction of cancer hospital in Islamabad

ISLAMABAD: The government has approved to construct cancer hospital Islamabad with estimated cost of Rs5.156 billion and earmarked Rs655 million in the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) for 2018-19.

Official budget documents available with The News disclosed on Thursday that this new scheme was made part of next PSDP for 2018-19. In Islamabad, there is Nuclear Medicine Oncology and Radio Therapy Institute (NORI) but the government thinks that Cancer Hospital is needed in the federal capital.

The PTI Chairman Imran Khan had constructed Shaukat Khanum at Lahore and Peshawar and he plans to construct another one in Karachi. Now the federal government has also come up with plan to construct Cancer Hospital in Islamabad in a bid to get political mileage.

The government has earmarked Rs1317 million for preparation of master plan for prime minister’s initiative of new hospitals across Pakistan.

However, there is no step taken by the government practically to kick-start this project after Panama verdict given by the SC on July 28, 2017 when Nawaz Sharif was ousted so this ambitious project was put into cold storage.

In the Foreign Affairs Division, the government will construct state guest house and conference center in Islamabad with estimated cost of Rs10 billion and earmarked Rs70 million in the PSDP for 2018-19.

In another related project for preparation of PC-II consultancy services of state guest house and conference center, the government has estimated cost of Rs268 million and earmarked Rs100 million in the next PSDP for 2018-19.

For enhancement of security measurement at Prime Minister House in Islamabad, the government has approved project with estimated cost of Rs4.25 million, provision and installation of pressure sand filter plant and block winning (voice/data) at Prime Minister House Islamabad at estimated cost of Rs11.270 million.

For construction of cross border optical fiber cable system between China and Pakistan for international connectivity (data/voice), the government has estimated cost of Rs29 billion out of which Rs24.65 billion earmarked as foreign exchange component. The government has approved Rs1123 million for National Response Center for Cyber Crimes and Islamabad Bus Service Project Rs2.5 billion.