MIANWALI:
A controversial administrative decision to shift Mianwali’s 450-bed District Headquarters (DHQ) hospital to a 200-bed Mother and Child Care Hospital has sparked a health crisis, prompting angry patients and their attendants to stage protests and block roads.
The move took place a few months ago, just before the visit of a senior government official. Officials reportedly hatched a plan to merge DHQ Hospital into the Mother and Child Care Hospital, which had been named after a rival political figure. The transfer happened overnight; The Mother and Child Care Hospital’s nameplate was removed and the facility was renamed DHQ Hospital.
The original DHQ Hospital had a capacity of 450 beds and served patients from all over Mianwali district and surrounding areas. In contrast, the Mother and Child Care Hospital was built with a capacity of 200 beds and was specifically established to provide gynecology and pediatric services.
Authorities moved the DHQ Hospital to the smaller facility while announcing plans to convert the original DHQ premises into a medical college and teaching hospital.
However, the move placed the burden of approximately 450 additional beds on a facility designed for less than half that capacity, severely straining its infrastructure and services.
The situation has worsened to the extent that, according to local reports, the re-designated DHQ Hospital is operating without an emergency department. Patients are reportedly housed two to a bed, while the excessive strain has caused the sewage system, kitchen facilities and refrigeration system to break down.
The extreme summer heat in Mianwali further compounded the hardships faced by patients and their families, eventually sparking protests outside the hospital.
Protesters blocked a road and demanded that the DHQ Hospital be moved back to its original building, which they said has been vacant for months despite the announcement that it would be converted into a teaching hospital.
Protesters said that no teaching hospital has been established in the old premises, nor has the building been used for any other public use. They argued that patients bear the consequences of a poorly planned administrative decision.
The dispute has already led to administrative changes. The Medical Superintendent (MS) of the hospital was replaced, followed by the transfer of the Deputy Commissioner. However, critics say authorities have yet to solve the underlying crisis and continue to search for a way to operate what is effectively a 650-bed health service within facilities designed for just 200 beds.
