The District Health Department is developing a comprehensive strategy to provide vital services to the rural population to meet their needs. Within the following year, 14 new Community Health Centers (CHCs) and Basic Health Units (BHUs) will be created as part of this initiative.
As per Sardar Shabbir Ahmed, Project Director of the Health Department Islamabad, about three BHUs and 11 CHCs with a capacity of 515 beds are approaching completion and will be operational within the year.
Sardar Shabbir Ahmed disclosed that these facilities include the 200-bed King Salman bin Abdulaziz Hospital at Tarlai, a 40-bed CHC at G-13, a 30-bed CHC at Bari Imam, a 20-bed Mother & Child Health Centre at Gohra Shahan, a 25-bed Mother & Neonatal Child Health Health Centre at I-14 (Badhana Kalan), a 60-bed Mother & Neonatal Child Health Centre at Bhara Kahu, and a 40-bed CHC at Bokra.
In addition, four BHUs in Tarnol, Shah Allah Ditta, Kirpa, and Rawat are being converted to CHCs, each with a capacity of 25 beds.
In addition, the Department is building three new BHUs in Jhangi Syedan, Golra Sharif, and Sara-e-Kharbooza, each with an outpatient department (OPD).
The Sohan BHU has been rebuilt with additional facilities for women and children, and eight ‘Well Baby Clinics’ have been created at existing BHUs to assist mothers and babies.
The Department has further proposed 359 new positions for various medical practitioners, which are pending final clearance. Once granted, the Department will be permitted to run all of these facilities 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The present three Rural Health Centres (RHCs) have a total bed capacity of only 60. However, with these new healthcare facilities, the inpatient bed capacity will expand to 575, allowing patients to be treated around the clock.
