Jinnah Hospital ( ps, جناح روغتون; prs, شفاخانه جناح) is a 200-bed
hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment with specialized health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically has an emergen ...
in
Kabul
Kabul (; ps, , ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province; it is administratively divided into #Districts, 22 municipal dist ...
,
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is borde ...
.
Built by the
government of Pakistan
The Government of Pakistan ( ur, , translit=hakúmat-e pákistán) abbreviated as GoP, is a federal government established by the Constitution of Pakistan as a constituted governing authority of the four provinces, two autonomous territorie ...
,
it is one of the largest
hospitals in Afghanistan
This is a partial list of hospitals in Afghanistan. In 2004, there were 117 private and government-run hospitals in the country. Their number has gradually increased to over 3,000. Nearly all districts of Afghanistan have at least one government-ru ...
.
Jinnah Hospital was opened for the public on 20 April 2019 during an inauguration ceremony.
It is currently being transformed into a teaching hospital.
History and background
The construction of Jinnah Hospital is funded by
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
and is named after the founder and first Governor-General of Pakistan,
Muhammad Ali Jinnah
Muhammad Ali Jinnah (, ; born Mahomedali Jinnahbhai; 25 December 1876 – 11 September 1948) was a barrister, politician, and the founder of Pakistan. Jinnah served as the leader of the All-India Muslim League from 1913 until the ...
. It is part of a series of Pakistani development projects in Afghanistan under the
Pakistan Technical Assistance Programme.
The flagship project was approved by the
Planning Commission initially at a cost of $18 million, and the contract was signed in March 2007.
The hospital's foundation stone was laid on 10 October 2007.
Jinnah Hospital's design and construction services were undertaken by
NESPAK
The National Engineering Services Pakistan ( ur, , trading name: NESPAK) NES, is a Pakistan-based multinational state-owned enterprise and an energy contractor which provides consulting, construction, engineering, and management services glob ...
and the
National Logistics Cell.
Around 25 acres of land for the medical complex were reserved by the
Afghan government in District 13 of Kabul.
On 20 April 2019, the hospital was inaugurated and opened for services during a ceremony presided over by Afghan
Vice President
A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on ...
Sarwar Danish as chief guest, with Afghanistan's health minister Ferozuddin Feroz and Pakistan's Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs,
Ali Muhammad Khan
Ali Muhammad Khan (; born 30 November 1977) is a Pakistani politician who served as the Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs from 17 September 2018 to 10 April 2022. He is currently a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan since Au ...
, also present. Feroz appreciated the "generous gift" and thanked "Pakistan’s immense assistance in the health sector" of Afghanistan, while Khan described the hospital as part of
Imran Khan administration
Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi ( ur}; born 5 October 1952) is a Pakistani politician and former Cricket captain who served as the 22nd Prime Minister of Pakistan from August 2018 to until April 2022, when he was ousted through a no-confidenc ...
's vision of providing welfare for the Afghan people. He expressed his hopes that the project would make a "substantial contribution" to the country's health services.
Pakistan officially handed over the facility to the Afghan government on this occasion.
The total cost of the project at completion was $24 million, and construction was undertaken over 12 years since the date of inception. The deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan, as well as institutional and bureaucratic inefficiencies were cited as reasons for the delay in completion.
At the time of inauguration, Pakistan was also building the Nishtar Kidney Centre in
Jalalabad
Jalalabad (; Dari/ ps, جلالآباد, ) is the fifth-largest city of Afghanistan. It has a population of about 356,274, and serves as the capital of Nangarhar Province in the eastern part of the country, about from the capital Kabul. Jala ...
, and the 100-bed Naeb Aminullah Khan Hospital in
Logar at a cost of $19 million, both of which were nearing completion.
Medical facilities
The hospital comprises a two-story structure spread out over an area of 16,700 m
2. The building has ten towers.
It includes a casualty block,
blood bank
A blood bank is a center where blood gathered as a result of blood donation is stored and preserved for later use in blood transfusion. The term "blood bank" typically refers to a department of a hospital usually within a Clinical Pathology laborat ...
, outpatient department,
dialysis centre, administration block,
intensive care unit
220px, Intensive care unit
An intensive care unit (ICU), also known as an intensive therapy unit or intensive treatment unit (ITU) or critical care unit (CCU), is a special department of a hospital or health care facility that provides intensi ...
, constant care centre,
thalassemia
Thalassemias are inherited blood disorders characterized by decreased hemoglobin production. Symptoms depend on the type and can vary from none to severe. Often there is mild to severe anemia (low red blood cells or hemoglobin). Anemia can resul ...
centre, wards for gynaecology, medicine and surgeries, as well as pediatrics, emergency and food services.
Also included are a pharmacy, laundry and sterilising department. The blocks are accessible and connected to each other via covered corridors, stairs and lifts. The hospital's infrastructure includes overhead water tanks, two
tube wells, five 1,000
kVa diesel-powered generators, a pump house and septic tanks, an electrical transformer, and fire alarm and nurse calling systems.
According to the
Pakistani embassy in Kabul, Jinnah Hospital's furnishing and equipment costs – in addition to training of doctors, paramedics and other hospital staff – shall be covered under a grant provided by Pakistan.
See also
*
Healthcare in Afghanistan
Healthcare in Afghanistan is slowly improving after it was almost non-existent due to the decades of war. Currently, there are over 3,000 health facilities found throughout Afghanistan. More than 17,000 health posts have been established in the co ...
*
List of hospitals in Afghanistan
This is a partial list of hospitals in Afghanistan. In 2004, there were 117 private and government-run hospitals in the country. Their number has gradually increased to over 3,000. Nearly all districts of Afghanistan have at least one government-ru ...
*
Afghanistan–Pakistan relations
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jinnah Hospital
2019 establishments in Afghanistan
Afghanistan–Pakistan relations
Hospital buildings completed in 2019
Hospitals established in 2019
Hospitals in Kabul
Memorials to Muhammad Ali Jinnah