GWADAR: The Government of Balochistan on Friday approved the budget for the ongoing fiscal year 2024–25 and the upcoming fiscal year 2025–26 for the Gwadar Development Authority (GDA) Pak-China Friendship Hospital Gwadar, authorized upgrades to the facility’s power supply system, sanctioned additional housing for medical staff and cleared a plan to convert the old hospital building into a maternity ward and medical training institute, according to a statement issued late Friday night by the Directorate of Public Relations Balochistan.
The decisions were taken at a meeting of the hospital’s management board, chaired by Chief Secretary Balochistan Shakeel Qadir Khan. Additional Chief Secretary Development Zahid Saleem, Health Secretary Daud Khan Khilji and Finance Secretary Imran Zarkoon attended from Quetta, while GDA Director General Moeen-ur-Rahman Khan and senior officials from the Indus Hospital & Health Network (IHHN), including Head of Campus Dr. Affan Faiz Zada and the IHHN chief executive, joined via video link. The statement said the board reviewed several agenda items before granting formal approval to the two-year budget framework. The board further endorsed establishing a dedicated feeder to stabilize electricity supply and updating the hospital’s electrical design.
To improve working conditions for medical staff, the Government of Balochistan also approved the arrangement of additional residential facilities. The repurposing of the old hospital building for maternity care and clinical training is expected to strengthen maternal health services and enhance professional medical education in the region. Between August 2024 and September 2025, the hospital’s Gynecology and Obstetrics Department received 36,661 women and handled 2,866 successful deliveries. The high patient load underscored the need for a dedicated maternity and child health building, prompting the board to allocate the old hospital block for this purpose.
During the Friday’s briefing, the administration informed the board that more than 1,000 patients are treated at the hospital each day, including visitors from Gwadar, surrounding areas and neighboring Iran.
Established with Chinese support, the hospital has become a major regional healthcare center due to its modern equipment and trained medical personnel, the statement said. –Agencies
