ISLAMABAD: Information about the floor area ratio (FAR) and other specifications pertaining to the construction plan for the Federal Government Polyclinic enlargement project has been requested from the Capital Development Authority (CDA).
The 300-bed project in G-11/3, which was first proposed by the previous health minister Abdul Qadir Patel in August 2023, will require three years to complete and a total cost of Rs9.9 billion. The health ministry requested information from the CDA regarding the FAR and setbacks necessary for the building designs to be approved in a letter dated February 9. In light of the CDA answer, the Infrastructure Development Authority of Punjab (IDAP) plans to draft the Polyclinic building plan.
The 300-bed Polyclinic extension project is being carried out by the Infrastructure Development Authority of Punjab (IDAP), a government agency in Punjab. The CDA will be consulted in order to approve the building plans.
The ministry’s letter stated that in order to expedite the CDA’s criteria, the following information is needed: Floor Area Ratio (FAR) and setbacks for the construction plan approval.
The ministry requested the CDA to provide the said details to the project director to complete the project on time. According to an officer of the CDA, the civic agency was in the process of providing the said details to the health ministry.
In G-11, the health ministry requests community agency feedback on the building proposal for a 300-bed hospital.
He stated that because this project was urgently needed by the city, the CDA would accept the development design on a priority basis. According to him, “we will approve their construction plans on a priority basis whenever they submit the entire set of complete documents.”
Mr. Patel placed the cornerstone for the 300-bed Polyclinic expansion in Sector G-11 in August 2023.
The federal capital’s population has been steadily growing, which has increased the strain on hospitals. In addition, a large number of patients from various provinces come to the federal capital’s hospitals. Thus, the construction of an additional hospital in the city is now essential. The construction of Polyclinic II, the extension, will take place in G-11/3. The minister had stated at the occasion, “I am extremely happy that I have set up finances for the 300-bed hospital.”
The minister reportedly added that the facility would benefit a large number of people from Punjab, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Gilgit-Baltistan. He added that approximately 6,000 patients visited the Polyclinic’s outpatient department (OPD) every day, making its extension necessary.
After visiting the project site in November, Dr. Nadeem Jan, the interim minister of health, gave the relevant authorities instructions to finish the project in two years as opposed to the three years that were originally planned.
When finished, this 300-bed hospital will offer services for conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, allergies, maternity care, bone and joint disorders, heart and chest disorders, and skin problems.
It is pertinent to mention that Islamabad’s public hospitals, particularly the National Institute of Health (NIH), Polyclinic, and Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), are overcrowded.
Islamabad’s population has grown significantly over the past few decades, but the city’s health infrastructure was unable to keep up with the speed of population expansion, placing a great deal of burden on the city’s already-existing institutions.
SOURCE: DAWN NEWS
