Public inns on hospitals’ premises being misused for years

PESHAWAR: Despite the fact that the so-called “Sarkaari Serai” or public inn has never been utilised by deserving people, the provincial government, particularly the Social Welfare Department, is yet to take note of this huge building being misused by certain quarters.

The Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) government had built public inns on the premises of Khyber Teaching Hospital (KTH) and Lady Reading Hospital (LRH). The aim was to facilitate attendants of patients of remote areas and providing them free stay in these buildings.

Even when the MMA government was in power, some influential people, including residents of Bannu, the hometown of then chief minister Akram Durrani, had occupied rooms there and would allegedly rent it out to the needy people.

Later, shopkeepers and other people having businesses outside the KTH premises allegedly started occupying rooms there.

The building was constructed on a prime and expensive land of KTH. The KTH administration, led by Hospital Director Prof Roohul Muqeem, had conducted an operation against encroachments within the hospital three days ago and recovered more than one kanal land.

Around two kanals of the property was secured after 70 years and its present market value runs in millions of rupees, because just one marla land’s price in the same area is over Rs10 million.

In another corner of the hospital near the Casualty Department, some people had allegedly occupied around one kanal of the hospital property and had built rooms and a public call office.

They had been in possession of the property for the past three years and none of hospital directors and medical directors bothered to secure the precious properties from the grabbers.

Prof Roohul Muqeem was lucky as he was fully backed by Dean Khyber Medical College (KMC) Prof Mahmood Aurangzeb.

The land secured by the KTH administration can be better utilised and it can generate a good revenue for the hospital.

Insiders in KTH told The News all the chief executives, medical superintendents and then medical directors and hospital directors were aware of this issue that the hospital land had been in possession of people for decades but they avoided to take risk and secure the property.

“One must appreciate the present Board of Governors and hospital administration which, within a few days, took brave decisions and secured the hospital property. Its value is worth millions of rupees and can be better utilised now,” said a faculty member of the hospital.

However, the provincial government, particularly the Social Welfare Department, would have to play a role now and return building of the so-called public inn to the hospital so it can better utilise it for the patients.

According to sources, the KTH administration has written a letter to the government and tried to invite their attention to the building being misused.