Islamabad: Following objections by the National Institute of Health (NIH) that its land could not be allotted to a private organisation for construction of a hospital, the federal government has asked the Capital Development Authority (CDA) to identify a suitable alternative site from its own land for Aga Khan University in the federal capital, officials said.
Health ministry officials said the decision was made after NIH Islamabad objected to CDA’s proposed allotment of around 35 acres of land located within the institute’s premises in Chak Shahzad for establishment of a teaching hospital by Aga Khan University (AKU).
They said NIH had informed the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination that the land belonged to the institute and was required for its existing work and future expansion.
The institute maintained that it had acquired the land in the 1960s after making payment to CDA, and had produced old receipts and other relevant records in support of its ownership claim, the officials added.
The health ministry supported NIH’s position and conveyed to CDA that land owned by a federal public-health institution could not be arbitrarily allotted to a private organisation without resolving the ownership issue and meeting legal requirements.
The matter was subsequently referred to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who constituted a three-member committee comprising federal ministers, including the federal health minister, to examine the dispute and hear the viewpoints of NIH, CDA and other stakeholders.
After detailed deliberations, the committee decided that NIH land could not be transferred or allotted to Aga Khan University for the proposed hospital, the officials said.
They added that CDA had now been directed to identify an alternative piece of land under its own ownership and offer it to AKU for the planned healthcare and teaching facility in Islamabad.
Officials said the government remained supportive of the proposed Aga Khan University Hospital in the federal capital but had to ensure that the project did not affect the operational requirements, future development plans and public-health functions of NIH.
NIH is the country’s principal federal public-health institution and is responsible for disease surveillance, diagnostic services, laboratories, vaccine-related work, training, biomedical research and emergency response to disease outbreaks.
Health officials said the institute needed land for expansion of laboratories, research and training facilities, warehouses, offices and other infrastructure needed to strengthen Pakistan’s health-security capacity.
The latest development comes after CDA had earlier approved allocation of around 22 acres of land for an Aga Khan University Hospital campus in Islamabad, following the interest and support of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for the project.
At that stage, Aga Khan University President Sulaiman Shahabuddin had described the proposed site as a suitable option for a teaching and healthcare facility, while saying that the university would conduct a detailed feasibility study before making a final decision.
Subsequently, CDA and AKU examined other possible locations, including sites in Sector I-12 and Chak Shahzad near NIH. CDA had publicly stated that several options were under consideration and that no final site had been confirmed.
AKU officials said they were awaiting a final decision by federal authorities regarding an alternative site. They said that once CDA formally offered a suitable piece of land, the university would examine its location, size, accessibility, legal status and feasibility before deciding how to proceed.
They said AKU was considering a planned 200-bed hospital in Islamabad, to include patient-care facilities as well as medical education, training and research components.
The proposed hospital is expected to serve Islamabad and Rawalpindi as well as patients from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, northern areas, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and other adjoining regions, where people often travel to Islamabad for specialised treatment.