Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif opened Islamabad's newly upgraded Pakistan-China Friendship Hospital. He directed that patients receive free, high-standard care, with the state covering all medical expenses. Originally donated by China during the COVID-19 outbreak, the 182-bed medical center is welcoming patients again after staying shut for multiple years.
Government to fund care, Indus to manage services
Under a public-private arrangement, the Indus Hospital and Health Network will oversee operations and supply medical staff, while the state pays for patient care. Sharif additionally requested an outside evaluation to monitor service standards and improve responsibility.
While touring the updated facility, the prime minister interacted with patients and listened to a presentation by Federal Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal. He told the minister and administrators to turn the medical center into a model for other state healthcare centers.
A pandemic-era gift returns to use
Previously designated as the Isolation Hospital and Infectious Treatment Centre, the building stopped functioning after the health emergency ended and sat empty for years prior to its overhaul and name change.
Sharif stated that a press article drew his attention to the state of the building, leading him to instruct the health minister to reopen it quickly. He expressed sorrow over the extended shutdown and said sorry to Chinese Ambassador Jiang Zaidong and the citizens of China for the delay.
Chinese Ambassador Jiang Zaidong praised the shift from a quarantine facility into a general medical center. He also supported the Pakistan-China Friendship Hospital title and wished that the center keeps treating patients and building ties between both nations.
182 beds for patients from the capital and beyond
Out of its 182 total beds, the facility features 50 intensive care beds. Kamal noted the center will support growing medical needs as the population of Islamabad increases and individuals arrive from other areas.
- Islamabad and Rawalpindi
- Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
- Gilgit-Baltistan
- Azad Jammu and Kashmir
- Other parts of Pakistan
The health minister also mentioned that a 200-bed cancer facility at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences is ready and should start functioning next year.
Network plans a blood centre in Islamabad
Dr Abdul Bari Khan, chief executive officer of the Indus Hospital and Health Network, stated the collaboration lets the group provide free medical services in the capital. He additionally revealed plans to build a blood center in Islamabad.
He noted the network operates 15 hospitals, 140 primary healthcare clinics, four blood centres and four physical rehabilitation centres across Pakistan, assisting roughly 700,000 patients every month. About 70 per cent of its total budget is raised within Pakistan, he added.
