Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Muhammad Sohail Afridi has issued strict directives for the completion of the restoration and upgradation of the province's Secondary Care District Headquarters (DHQ) hospitals by the end of the current financial year. Chairing a high-level meeting at the Chief Minister's House in Peshawar, Afridi made it clear that any further delay in this critical public welfare project will not be tolerated.
Project Review and Acceleration
The meeting was convened to review progress on the DHQ hospital upgradation scheme. Officials briefed the Chief Minister on various aspects of the project, including the progress made so far, challenges encountered, and the way forward. Afridi instructed all relevant departments to accelerate work and ensure timely completion. He specifically directed that hospitals where development work is lagging should be prioritized and completed urgently to prevent the public from facing further delays in accessing modern and quality healthcare facilities.
Afridi emphasized that all obstacles hindering the project must be immediately identified and removed. He stated that unnecessary delays in any form would be unacceptable. To ensure accountability, he announced a follow-up review meeting in three months, by which time visible and substantial progress must be evident.
Health City and Other Initiatives
Alongside the DHQ hospital upgradation, the Chief Minister stressed the importance of establishing the proposed Health City, describing it as equally essential and among the top priorities of the provincial government. He instructed officials to further accelerate work on the Health City project so that it can be given practical shape at the earliest.
Afridi noted that the provincial government is allocating significant resources for the rehabilitation and upgradation of existing hospitals and health centers, while also focusing on new projects like the Health City to meet the growing needs of the health sector. He assured that the government is committed to providing people with modern, quality, and sustainable healthcare facilities.
Ongoing Health Projects
The Chief Minister also directed that all necessary steps be taken for the early completion of other ongoing health projects, including the Khyber Institute of Child Health. He assured that the provincial government would extend every possible support in this regard.
Financial and Technical Details
During the briefing, officials informed the meeting that four different PC-1s worth Rs33.085 billion have been approved for the restoration and upgradation of 32 District Headquarters hospitals across the province. They added that procurement of modern medical equipment worth Rs2.55 billion has been completed, and the equipment has already been supplied to the concerned hospitals. The infrastructure designs for the hospitals have also been approved, and civil works are expected to begin soon.
