Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif inaugurated the 250-bed Pak-China Friendship Hospital in Chak Shahzad, Islamabad, declaring that patients from all over Pakistan will receive free medical treatment.

The facility, originally constructed with Chinese assistance during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, will be run by the Indus Hospital and Health Network (IHHN) under a public-private partnership.

During the ceremony, the prime minister thanked Chinese President Xi Jinping for backing the hospital's construction and blamed the former government for leaving the centre idle after the pandemic.

He noted that the hospital had delivered vital services during COVID-19 but was later closed despite rising public health needs.

Shehbaz called the shutdown an act of neglect toward poor and vulnerable patients and lamented the long delay in re-opening the site.

The prime minister also said the former Margalla Hospital had been renamed Pak-China Friendship Hospital to honour China's role.

He guaranteed that the hospital will provide 100% free medical care to residents of Islamabad, nearby districts and other regions of the country.

Initially established as the Isolation Hospital and Infectious Treatment Centre (IHITC) in 2020, the building was erected in just 40 days by the Frontier Works Organization together with the National Disaster Management Authority and the National Institute of Health.

China contributed a $4 million grant, while total construction costs were about Rs. 980 million. The centre first opened in July 2020 to treat COVID-19 and other infectious cases.

Covering roughly 40 kanals near the NIH, the complex houses patient wards, labs, administrative offices and other medical facilities, but it saw limited use because of operational hurdles and staff shortages.

To restart services, the federal government chose IHHN to manage the hospital. On July 31, the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination signed agreements with the organization to run both the hospital and the Regional Blood Center in Islamabad after cabinet approval.