ISLAMABAD – Pak-China Friendship Hospital, a 250-bed hospital built with Chinese help, has been inaugurated by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Chak Shahzad to provide free treatment to residents of Islamabad and surrounding areas.
The opening puts a previously underused healthcare facility into service under a public-private partnership, with the Indus Hospital and Health Network entrusted with its management and operations. Speaking at the inauguration, the prime minister thanked the Chinese government for its contribution to the hospital, highlighting another tangible expression of friendship between Pakistan and China.
اسلام آباد میں پاکستان چائنا فرینڈشپ ہسپتال کی افتتاحی تقریب https://t.co/ffBpY9xv9d
— Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (@MoIB_Official) October 29, 2026
The federal government renamed the facility, previously known as Margalla Hospital, on the prime minister’s instructions. Chinese Ambassador Jiang Zaidong welcomed the decision, describing the Pak-China Friendship Hospital name as a commendable recognition of bilateral ties.
Federal Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal said the renovated hospital would offer treatment free of charge, with five major departments, including maternal and child healthcare, supported by modern operating theatres.
The minister said China had helped establish the hospital during the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, but the facility had remained non-functional until 2025. Its revival now brings that infrastructure into broader public use.
Originally established as the Isolation Hospital and Infectious Treatment Centre, the hospital was built in just 40 days by the Frontier Works Organisation in collaboration with the National Disaster Management Authority and the National Institute of Health. Beijing provided a $4 million grant for the project, according to official sources, while the total construction cost was estimated at approximately Rs980 million.
First inaugurated in July 2020, the hospital was designed to isolate and treat patients with COVID-19 and other infectious diseases. After the pandemic emergency eased, staffing shortages and operational difficulties left the facility underutilised for an extended period.
Situated near the National Institute of Health in Chak Shahzad, the hospital occupies approximately 40 kanals and includes patient wards, laboratories, administrative offices and other essential medical infrastructure. To restore its capacity and expand access to care, the federal government secured cabinet approval for a partnership with the Indus Hospital and Health Network, a non-profit organisation that provides free healthcare across Pakistan.
Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination signed agreements with the network on July 31 covering the management and operation of both the hospital and Islamabad’s Regional Blood Centre.
The hospital’s activation is expected to bring much-needed relief to families in Chak Shahzad and neighbouring communities, while helping ease the patient burden on other government hospitals in Islamabad.
