Federal Health Minister Abdul Qadir Patel inaugurated the construction of a new cancer hospital at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in Islamabad on Monday. This significant project aims to establish a hospital with 200 beds and is expected to be fully operational within two years, with an estimated cost of Rs. 10.8 billion.
Initially, Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif was going to lay the foundation stone for the hospital. However, due to prior engagements in Lahore, he was unable to attend.
Minister Patel mentioned that 30 percent of the work on the Cancer Hospital Islamabad has already been completed. He expressed optimism that the outpatient departments would be operational by mid-2025.
Project Director Dr. Ayesh Isani mentioned that various cancer treatment facilities such as radiology, pathology, onco-surgery, medical oncology, ICU, emergency care for cancer patients, genetics, and research will be included.
Dr. Ayesh also revealed that the initial Project Concept-1 (PC-I) was approved by the Central Development Working Party (CDWP) in 2018, allocating Rs. 1,998 million for the civil work. However, the allocated funds of Rs. 265 million for the financial year 2018-19 were not released.
She further explained that the project was temporarily suspended by the task force on Health under the Ministry of NHARandC (National Health, Regulations, and Coordination). Nevertheless, Dr. Ayesh Isani added the project would progress as planned in two phases. The construction work is currently progressing rapidly, with the aim of completing the necessary infrastructure within the designated project timeline.
Source: Pro Pakistani