Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has in principle approved a Rs100 billion master plan for Civil Hospital Karachi alongside an initial Rs50 billion grant, in a significant effort to modernise the healthcare infrastructure within the provincial capital.
The decision is a result of a high-level meeting at the Chief Minister’s House. The chief minister also gave a go-ahead to an initial allocation of Rs50 billion from the Sindh government to kick-start the project.
Work on the Abdul Sattar Edhi Medical Tower is set to commence at once as part of the wider redevelopment plan.
The ambitious project is a way to greatly expand the hospital while maintaining its historical identity.
The plan calls for, almost doubling the footprint of the hospital with modern construction and improved facilities.
There are currently 2,142 beds in the Civil Hospital Karachi. Under the expansion, an additional number of 500 beds will be added, due to the increased demand in healthcare.
Several new facilities are planned, a state-of-the-art medical tower, surgical ward, an upgraded outpatient department (OPD), burns and jail ward.
The project will also have a modern mortuary, better waste management systems, and administrative blocks and will have dedicated hostels for doctors and nurses.
To deal with traffic jams in the surrounding areas, widening of Yakoob Khan Road, Bezanji Road are part of the plan.
This is expected to enhance access to ambulances and make it easier for patients to be transported.
Murad Ali Shah put weight on the fact that the heritage of the hospital would be preserved in the redevelopment. He said historic structures would be restored as well as new construction.
The meeting also decided to establish a group of professionals from public and private sectors to supervise and accelerate the implementation of the project.
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