Daily Times

The Jinnah Hospital Lahore’s neurosurgery department’s up-gradation project has been put into limbo owing to non-establishment of Modular Operation Theater, Daily Times has learnt.

Hospital’s Board of Management (BOM) has decided to blacklist the responsible company over the non-compliance of the conditions of the contract in this regard.

The project “Up-gradation & Strengthening of Neurosurgery Department Jinnah Hospital Lahore” started on November 12, 2016 under the ADP scheme and was supposed to complete by June 30, 2017. To establish the two Modular Operation Theaters in department, a company M/S Biotech Pakistan was rewarded with the contract to complete the project.

The project was proposed to add treatment, surgical and diagnostic equipment/facilities to the Neurosurgery Department. For the purpose a huge amount of Rs398 million was utilized on the project out of which Rs7 million had to be utilized on the provision of 2 Modular Operation Theaters.

In July 2018, the Directorate General Evaluation & Monitoring team in its report stated that the purpose of the project could not be fulfilled owing to incomplete fabrication work. According to a report available with Daily Times, the DGM&E team observed that the said company/supplier did not provide even software and laptops required to run the equipment that was why the rest of equipment remained packed, unused since the last 7 months. The report states, project was not completed/fully functional by 5th of June 2018. It achieved its financial targets but despite spending nearly total budget, the project was unable to achieve its physical targets as main component (Establishment of 02 modular theaters) of the project was not completed.

Jinnah Hospital Lahore’s Medical Superintendent (MS) Dr Asim Hameed denied any irregularity at the end of hospital administration

DGM&E in its report recommended that modular operation theatres should be made functional as soon as possible. Gaps/reasons for delay need to be identified to fix the responsibility and improve future project planning.

After the report, the Jinnah Hospital Lahore’s BOM, in a letter asked company to complete the pending work of neurosurgery department. Despite reminders, the company remained reluctant in completion of the project.

Sources in health department informed this correspondent that besides company’s negligence, Jinnah Hospital’s administration was equally responsible for the delay in completion of the project. Jinnah Hospital Lahore’s Medical Superintendent (MS) Dr Asim Hameed while denying any irregularity at the end of hospital administration said that they have decided to blacklist the company over the violation of the contract. Talking to Daily Times, he maintained that BOM reminded the company time and again but it could not fulfill its responsibility. “BOM in its meeting on October 11, 2018 asked the firm for completion of the project where company promised to complete the due work by October 31, 2018,” he said and continued that the company was bound to pay a fine of Rs10,000 per day till the completion of modular operation theaters. However, Hameed confirmed that the company did not complete the project nor paid the amount of fine.

He further informed that a two week ago, another letter was written to company seeking the reply in three days but company officials were least bothered to reply.

This is pertinent to mention here that most of the head injury incidents occur due to road accidents while Jinnah Hospital is the nearest hospital located near the Motorway (M-2) and Lahore’s busiest Multan Road. This has been observed that owing to lack of neurosurgery facility in the hospital, rescue teams have to shift the patients to other infirmaries.

Published in Daily Times, February 27^th 2019.