Officials blame funding gaps for Mardan Children’s Hospital remaining non-operational

OPD Functional While Main Building Awaits Completion
Wards in Mardan Children’s Hospital are currently operating from the outpatient department (OPD) space, while construction continues on the main building designed to host all specialized pediatric services. Officials say the project is still awaiting government funds.

Critical Shortages Exposed During Winter
The ongoing cold season has highlighted the urgent need for more beds, as three to four children with flu and pneumonia are often placed in a single bed. Shortages of supplemental oxygen have also impacted patient care, prompting pediatricians to improvise using three-way nasal prongs to save lives.

Future Plans for Specialized Pediatric Services
Once fully operational, the hospital will provide around 20 subspecialties, serving children from Mardan and neighboring districts including Charsadda, Malakand, Dir, Bajaur, and Nowshera.

Long-Standing Project Delays
The government approved a 200-bed children’s hospital at Mardan Medical Complex back in 2011, originally expected to be fully functional by 2014. The building has three floors completed, with installed heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems, five lifts, a central cooling and heating system, and a basement parking capacity for 100 cars.

Current Capacity and Demand
Existing 50-bed children and 45-bed nursery units at MMC are overburdened due to a growing patient influx. The new hospital, being built on 40 kanals of land in the second most populous district of the province, is urgently needed for roughly one million children.

Operational Details and Funding Needs
The hospital will include five operating theatres, nursery, day-care, and thalassemia centers, requiring Rs420 million annually to function. Once fully operational, bed capacity could increase from 200 to 400, employing 1,125 staff members.

Political Delays and Urgency
Officials noted that projects named after political leaders, like former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto in this case, often suffer delays when opposing parties come to power. Work initially began under the ANP-PPP provincial government but lacked proper funding.

Impact on Pediatric Healthcare in the Province
Once operational, the hospital will reduce the patient load on Peshawar’s Lady Reading Hospital, Hayatabad Medical Complex, and Khyber Teaching Hospital. It is expected to significantly lower pediatric morbidity and mortality, contributing to the UN’s Millennium Development Goal 4 through improved preventive and curative healthcare strategies. Urgent need for Mardan Children’s Hospital, Winter exposes critical pediatric shortages, Hospital construction delayed for over a decade, Government funding key to saving children’s lives, Specialized pediatric care for Mardan and nearby districts, Hospital to reduce pressure on Peshawar hospitals.