PESHAWAR: The Children Hospital Mardan has yet to become fully operational due to a persistent lack of government funding, despite significant progress on its infrastructure, officials involved with the project said. They noted that the delay has worsened pressure on existing paediatric facilities, particularly during the ongoing winter season.
According to officials, limited services are currently being provided in the hospital’s out-patient department (OPD), which is operating from a temporary space. However, the main building—designed to house specialised paediatric services—remains incomplete, as the project awaits the release of additional funds.
The impact of the delay has become more pronounced in recent weeks, with a rise in seasonal illnesses such as flu and pneumonia among children. Officials said the shortage of beds has forced hospitals to accommodate three to four young patients on a single bed at times. They added that shortages of supplemental oxygen have also adversely affected patient care, requiring doctors to improvise under difficult circumstances.
Paediatricians, officials said, have occasionally been compelled to arrange three-way nasal prongs to support critically ill children. They stressed that once fully functional, the hospital would significantly ease the burden on families from Mardan and neighbouring districts, including Charsadda, Malakand, Dir, Bajaur and Nowshera, where specialised paediatric services are either limited or unavailable.
The provincial government approved the establishment of a 200-bed children’s hospital on the premises of Mardan Medical Complex (MMC) in 2011, with completion initially targeted for 2014. Officials said the civil work for three floors has been completed, including the installation of heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems.
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Currently, MMC’s existing 50-bed children unit and 45-bed nursery are overburdened due to a high influx of patients. The proposed hospital, built on 40 kanals of land in the province’s second most populous district, is considered essential for meeting the healthcare needs of nearly one million children in the area.
Officials said although deadlines for completion have shifted repeatedly over the years, most of the work has already been completed. The four-storey building includes five lifts, a central cooling and heating system, and a large basement parking area with capacity for 100 vehicles.
The officials said at times, shortage of supplemental oxygen adversely affected patient care.https://t.co/AqNHUKOjpt
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Once operational, the hospital is expected to offer around 20 paediatric subspecialties, along with five operating theatres, nursery, day-care and thalassaemia centres. Officials estimated that the facility would require Rs420 million annually to operate and around 1,125 staff members, for which a request has already been submitted to the government.
They said the hospital could eventually expand its capacity from 200 to 400 beds and would play a key role in reducing paediatric morbidity and mortality in the province. Officials also maintained that the project’s progress suffered from a lack of consistent priority over the years, urging the government to ensure timely funding so the long-delayed facility can become fully functional and help reduce pressure on major hospitals in Peshawar.
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