Fatima Mirza
Healthcare is one of the most important responsibilities of any government. A country’s progress does not only depend on its roads, industries and economic performance. It also depends on how well the country looks after its people. For a family who is struggling to meet daily expenses, the cost of hospital treatment often becomes an additional burden. The restoration of the Pak-China Friendship Hospital in Islamabad brings an important change to this situation. On October 29, 2026, Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif inaugurated the renovated hospital and announced that the government would provide completely free treatment to every patient who visits the facility.
During the inauguration ceremony, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif directed the authorities to ensure 100 percent free healthcare, including medicines, medical procedures and other treatment expenses. The government will bear the entire cost of patients so that the financial difficulties never prevent a patient from receiving medical attention. The Prime Minister highlighted that access to healthcare belongs to every citizen and that poverty never has to become a reason for denying someone medical treatment. The announcement places public welfare at the centre of the hospital’s purpose.
The hospital also carries an important history of friendship between Pakistan and China. During the COVID-19 pandemic, China provided Pakistan with the Isolation Hospital and Infectious Treatment Centre (IHITC) as a gesture of support. However, the facility remained closed for several years after the pandemic was over. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed regret over this prolonged closure. He explained that a newspaper report brought the situation to his attention, after which he directed Federal Minister for National Health Services Syed Mustafa Kamal to restore the hospital. The Prime Minister also apologized to Chinese Ambassador Jiang Zaidong, who represents the Chinese government and people, for leaving their generous gift unused for such a long period.
The restored hospital now has 182 beds, including 50 intensive care unit (ICU) beds. This capacity gives the hospital an important role in meeting the healthcare needs of Islamabad and surrounding regions. Patients from Rawalpindi, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and other parts of Pakistan will also benefit from its services. The facility has been transformed from an isolation hospital into a general hospital, which expands its role beyond the emergency needs that originally led to its construction.
The government has assigned the hospital’s management to the Indus Hospital and Health Network (IHHN) under a public-private partnership arrangement. The government will finance patient care, while the network will provide professional management and medical expertise. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif appreciated the organization’s contribution to healthcare delivery and acknowledged the leadership of its President and Chief Executive Officer, Dr Abdul Bari Khan. The network already operates 15 hospitals, 140 primary healthcare centres, four blood centres and four physical rehabilitation centres across Pakistan. According to Dr Abdul Bari Khan, their facilities serve approximately 700,000 patients every month. This existing network gives the new hospital an experienced healthcare organization to manage the medical services.
The Prime Minister also directed the authorities to arrange an independent third-party performance audit. The audit will examine the quality of medical services, hospital administration and overall performance. The audit decision adds an important element of accountability to the project.
A hospital requires more than just a successful inauguration. It needs proper management, functional equipment, qualified staff and regular monitoring. The government has a responsibility to protect public resources and ensure that every facility serves the people for whom it was built.
The hospital’s construction also reflects the scale of cooperation behind the project. In 2020, the Frontier Works Organization (FWO), with the support of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and the National Institute of Health (NIH), completed the hospital in just 40 days. China contributed $4 million, while the total construction cost reached approximately Rs980 million. The government named the facility Pak-China Friendship Hospital to recognize China’s financial contribution and the longstanding relationship between the two countries. Chinese President Xi Jinping’s vision of international cooperation and shared responsibility for human welfare also featured in the Prime Minister’s remarks.
Chinese Ambassador Jiang Zaidong welcomed the hospital’s restoration and described its reopening as a positive example of Pakistan-China cooperation. He also expressed China’s commitment to expanding bilateral relations under the second phase of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). His remarks highlighted the importance of taking the friendship between the two countries beyond diplomatic relations and translating it into projects that directly benefit ordinary citizens.
Pakistan’s healthcare sector also has another important development underway. During the ceremony, Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal announced that a 200-bed cancer hospital at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) had been prepared. The government expects to make it operational next year. This facility will add specialized treatment capacity to the country’s public healthcare infrastructure and provide further support to patients who require cancer care.
The restoration of the Pak-China Friendship Hospital represents more than the reopening of a building. It brings a valuable national asset back into public service and gives practical importance to Pakistan’s cooperation with China. The involvement of the Indus Hospital and Health Network also highlights the role of professional management in improving public healthcare facilities.
When public infrastructure reaches those who need it most, development becomes meaningful for the entire nation.
