islamabad
Executive Director Polyclinic Hospital, Dr Zahid Hussain, said on Thursday that despite Senate body’s approval of Rs.55.321 million policlinic expansion project, CDA has not handed over the possession of adjoining Argentina Park land to the hospital.
Dr Zahid said that the Argentine government was supporting the project with one third financial assistance adding that the buck now stops with Capital Development Authority due to its continued refusal to approve the use of adjoining Argentina Park for the expansion project.
He said that first CDA opposed the erstwhile Health Ministry’s plan to use one-third of the park’s land for expansion of the overcrowded Federal Government Polyclinic in 2009 on the plea that the park was a gift to Pakistan by Argentina so it could not be sacrificed for the purpose. Also, it declared the project environmentally damaging. But later the project was approved legally by senate lawmakers, he said.
“To be named Argentina Block to honour Buenos Aires’ support to the project, the five-storey structure with 1,110 beds and all essential specialties and equipment will offer full range of critical care services to visitors” he added. It will also have a helipad-supported 24/7 emergency services, a disabled and elderly friendly design and flexibility for future vertical expansion, Dr Zahid informed APP.
However, the Argentinean government threw its weight behind the mega public health project making the civic agency change its stand though it linked the handing over of the park’s land to city’s oldest and second largest hospital, Zahid said.
Meanwhile, the civic agency continued to stay disinclined to relinquish the possession of one third of Argentina Park’s land for Polyclinic expansion, he further said. There followed issuance of repeated reminders by the Prime Minister’s Secretariat and the Capital Administration and Development Ministry to CDA for the handover of the park’s land, but to no avail.
However, CDA took a new position on the matter by voicing its inability to comply with the instructions citing some Supreme Court verdicts, which, according to it, prohibit the use of parks for purposes other than it were created for.
When contacted, a top official of CAD confirmed that the Law Ministry had yet to respond to his ministry’s letter on Polyclinic expansion project.
The civic agency official said that the body was not satisfied as it had had quoted before the Senate committee a number of Supreme Court judgments prohibiting the CDA from using a park’s land for any other purpose.
On the other hand, Dr Zahid said that ministry of law has clarified that Apex Court’s judgement was in reference to not use the public park land for commercial markets.
“Expansion of the hospital was a dire need for the capital public as the hospital had already overburdened” he added. The Capital Development Authority (CDA) official said that under the
CDA Ordinance 1960 a public park land cannot be used for any other purpose.
The civic agency official also quoted before the Senate committee a number of Supreme Court judgments prohibiting the CDA from using a park’s land for any other purpose.
Under the expansion project, a five-storey medical tower with a capacity of 1,100 beds was to be constructed in Argentina Park situated next to the Polyclinic Hospital. The project was also to have neurosurgery, cardiac surgery, plastic surgery, MRI and state-of-the-art operation theatre facilities.
The government of Argentina had gifted the park land for the expansion of Polyclinic Hospital and in addition, it assured technical training to medical staff, he said. Dr Zahid said that despite directives of Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf, the matter could not been arranged and delays may cause cancellation of allotment of the project.
On the other hand, Argentinean Ambassador to Pakistan J Martin repeatedly offered complete cooperation to the Polyclinic Hospital administration but the project lingers on due to unknown reasons, he concluded.