REGARDLESS of what the opponents of present government say, it is a fact and the people also can see it on the ground that at present an unprecedented development activity is taking place in the federal capital.
Work is in progress on several road infrastructure projects as well as establishment of parks which after completion will add to the beauty of the capital city.
Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday performed the ground breaking of a new hospital in Islamabad as well as the new emergency at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS).
It was back in 1985 when the PIMS was established and ever since then regardless of increase in population of the capital, no new health facility in the public sector had been constructed.
This only added extra pressure on the Poly Clinic and the PIMS as patients from other areas including Chakwal, Jhelum, Murree, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir also visit these hospitals for treatment of different ailments.
In this backdrop, constructing a new hospital in the capital is really needed and present government deserves appreciation for paying attention towards this end.
We are confident that it will be completed in the stipulated period and equipped with state-of-the-art facility.
Given the size of the capital, we will suggest that more such facilities be established in different sectors including the surrounding areas of the capital in order to cater to the growing number of patients and reduce pressure on the existing public sector hospitals.
The expansion of Poly Clinic was envisaged back in the era of President Pervez Musharraf but despite the passage of so many years, no progress has so far been seen on it.
Given the easy accessibility of Poly Clinic, we will ask the elected representatives from Islamabad, especially Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar to initiate the work on its expansion.
As also stated by Prime Minister Imran Khan during the ground breaking of new hospital, the public sector hospitals should adopt the best practices of private sector and induct professionals on merit.
The health card initiative has given the option to the patients to also get medical treatment from private hospitals and the government hospitals will also have to improve their quality to stay relevant and keep attracting the patients.
