General Hospital Samanabad to be expanded to 250 beds

2By Our Correspondent

Published: January 30, 

An entire floor will be for emergency cases. An 18-room outpatient block would also be part of the building. PHOTO: FILE

FAISALABAD: 

As many as 200 beds will be added to the General Hospital Samanabad to make it a 250-bed facility to meet the influx of patients, a hospital spokesman told The Express Tribune on Wednesday.

He said the hospital administration had been asking the government to expand the hospital for quite some time. He said the expansion was a big project since the hospital currently had a capacity of 50 beds.

He said the government had also approved Rs820 million for the project.

The beds will added as a separate six-storey building that would be constructed over six kanals and 16 marlas near the hospital building. The new building will also have five operation theatres, a medical block, an orthopedic block, a services block and separate canteens for men and women.

An entire floor will be for emergency cases. An 18-room outpatient block would also be part of the building.

A private ward with 14 beds would also be constructed. There will be a medical store, a blood bank, an X-ray centre and a pathology laboratory in the basement. A laundry and sterilisation plant would also be established in the services Block. Three elevators would also be installed in the new building.

Construction at hospital disturbing patients 

As halted construction work resumes at a building of the Sargodha divisional headquarters hospital after three years, patients and their attendants say they are dreaded fearing a mishap anytime.

After the foundation stone for the building was laid in 2010, the authority concerned could only complete the structure of the building. Work of the building that was supposed to be completed in a year, was stopped for several reasons, including what the government said “lack of funds”.

According to the hospital management, the cost of the new building that was estimated at Rs700 million in 2010, had risen to Rs1.1 billion after over three years. At least Rs430 million was still required at complete the building, a hospital spokesman said. He said due to the influx of patients, the hospital administration had to shift patients to the incomplete building.

Panic was created among patients on Wednesday, as construction work in the structure began. Muhammad Shafiq, an attendant with one of the patients, said there was a lot of noise. He said there were no windows and doors. He said attendants with children, too, were concerned about window-less rooms on top floors.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 30^th, 2014.