Visit to Mardan hospitals: MPAs pledge to get funds released for incomplete projects

MARDAN: Two legislators at the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on Monday visited the Medical Teaching Institution Mardan Medical Complex (MTI-MMC) and its associated institutions and the District Headquarters Hospital (DHQ) and assured the officials that they would take up with the government the release of funds to these health facilities.

Members Provincial Assembly (MPAs) Iftikhar Mashwani and Amir Farzand Khan visited the MTI-MMC and the DHQ hospital and made the assurance. They assured the administration of Medical Teaching Institution Mardan Medical Complex (MTI-MMC), Benazir Bhutto Children Hospital (BBCH), Bacha Khan Medical College (BKMC) and District Headquarters Hospital (DHQ) Mardan that they would take up with the relevant officials the issue of releasing funds for the ongoing projects in these hospitals. Medical Director MMC Prof Dr Mukhtiar Ali, Hospital Director Dr Tariq Mehmood, and Benazir Bhutto Children Hospital (BBCH) Director Dr Javed Iqbal, Bacha Khan Medical College (BKMC) Project Director Dr Abdul Jamil and other officials attended the meeting. Iftikhar Mashwani said that they had met Chief Minister Mahmood Khan and discussed the issuance of the funds for completing the ongoing projects. The MPA said that the chief minister directed them to hold a meeting with the officials of hospitals in Mardan to get details about the ongoing incomplete projects. He said that the chief minister assured them to solve the issues and remove hurdles in the completion of these projects. Hospital Director Dr Tariq Mahmood said that funds for various projects could not be released due to legal hurdles. He asked the lawmakers to play their role in solving these issues because it was causing a delay in completion of various projects. Director BBCH Dr Javed Iqbal said that Rs47.5 million was required for Central Sterile Services Department. He added that setting up of Variable Refrigerant Flow and lifts at the facility were approved and development work on the same would start shortly.

Project Director BKMC Dr Abdul Jamil said that work on the BKMC was scheduled to be completed in 2014 but it could not be completed due to unavailability of funds. He said development work on the auditorium and two other buildings for BKMC was in the final stages and funds were needed to complete the work. He said that the college administration would vacate five wards of the MMC and shift the equipment to the new buildings after the completion of the remaining development work on these structures. The lawmakers directed the Executive Engineer Imran to coordinate with the BKMC administration and provide funds to complete the remaining development work on the projects.