Delay in reconstruction of Hospital in Mansehra

The King Abdullah Teaching Hospital (KATH) was a Type-A institution serving the population in Mansehra. The hospital had suffered major damages during the Earthquake in October 2005. Whereby, the Earthquake Reconstruction & Rehabilitation Authority (ERRA) was assigned the task to reconstruct the institution with the help of the Saudi Government. The deadline for complete restoration of this Rs. 800 million project was October, 2012. However, even after a delay of more than one year, the hospital is still not fully reconstructed, thus the cost of reconstruction is also expected to increase.

KATH was originally established in 1976, with a capacity of 107 beds, which was later upgraded to 250 beds in 1999, through a Public private partnership with Frontier Medical College Abbottabad. But after the earthquake and destruction, the hospital is still functioning in a makeshift arrangement, featuring 170 beds in the residential area.

According to recent reports, the Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Sardar Mohammad Yousuf, visited the location and took notice of this long delay. He summoned the ERRA officials in Islamabad and expressed his displeasure on this negligence, stating; “The reconstruction, scheduled to finish in 2011, can not be completed even in the next couple of years because of slow pace of work.

Dr Naeem Awan, the Medical Superintendent of the hospital, briefed the minister over hardships being faced by patients and staff because of the delay in completion of work. People of upper parts of Hazara are also being deprived of tertiary healthcare services.