he Children’s Hospital, a trusted health facility in Lahore for countless worried parents and their ailing children, often presents scenes of chaos. The corridors of the hospital echo with the cries of sick children and the hushed tones of anxious conversations of their attendants. But on August 19, a different kind of crisis shook the hospital. It wasn’t a medical crisis, but a structural one.

It was the day when Lahore witnessed a torrential downpour. This caused the ceiling of TCH’s Operation Theatre No 7 to leak. Showing great presence of mind, the staff inside the OT raised an alarm.

The response was immediate. The theatre was shut and all surgeries were halted. An emergency was declared — not only for the patients but also for the hospital staff.

Assistant Medical Superintendent Dr Ali Abuzar Naqvi, who is overseeing the maintenance work at TCH, said, “The minute we spotted the leak, we stopped all [medical] procedures in the OT.” A maintenance team was summoned to trace the source of the leak. Initially, it was suspected that the water pipelines in the washrooms and dressing rooms had ruptured. But the staff could not arrive at a definite conclusion.

As the investigation continued, it became evident that the culprit lay in an air-conditioning duct. “The building department officials were called in. They suspected a blockage [in the air-conditioning ducts],” Dr Naqvi said. The ceiling was promptly dislocated, pipes inspected, and repair work commenced.

According to Dr Naqvi, the operation theatres should start functioning by Sunday (today).

Farzana was one of the many parents worrying sick for their children’s treatment at the facility. Farzana’s 5-year-old son had fractured a leg. “We were waiting for the surgeon to operate on him,” she recalls. “But then they put up a notice saying the theatre had been closed due to a water leak. I was devastated.”

Mercifully, she didn’t have to wait too long before she was told that the surgery would be performed at another place.

The seepage at TCH was not an isolated incident. Mayo Hospital faced a similar situation. Rainwater breached the hospital’s newly-constructed emergency block and the ceiling and walls gave way.

The block, whose renovation had cost the government Rs 1 billion, was exposed for the substandard work carried out beneath a freshly painted and plastered façade.

Video clips of the seepage at Mayo went viral, drawing widespread criticism from the public as well as medical professionals. The footage revealed the extent of the damage: rainwater pouring through gaping cracks, pooling on the floors of the rooms meant to house the city’s most critically ill patients.

The interim government had allocated Rs 60 billion to revamp state-run hospitals. Incidents like the ones that occurred at TCH and Mayo suggest that this investment may not have been sufficient or may have been poorly managed.

The interim government had allocated Rs 60 billion to revamp state-run hospitals, with special focus on their emergency wards. Incidents like the ones that occurred at TCH and Mayo suggest that this investment may not have been sufficient or may have been poorly managed.

Defending the quality of work carried out at TCH, Dr Naqvi said that the hospital was one of the most modern in the province. “Although there are hospitals for children in Gujranwala and Multan, people prefer to bring their children to TCH. Our facilities and doctors are the best in the province,” he said.

Dr Naqvi also acknowledged the burden the hospital faces: “Currently, we have 1,200 beds. On any given day, about 2,000 patients are admitted. Many children are accompanied by whole families. No wonder the hospital is always crowded.”

The seepage at TCH points to a larger, more systemic issue. It shows that the Punjab’s public healthcare infrastructure is struggling to keep pace with the growing demand for its services.

Dr Zain Ali Bhatti, a former political adviser to the chief minister on health, says the Punjab should learn from Sindh. Referring to PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari’s recent statement that the Punjab should focus on improving health facilities, Dr Bhatti says the provincial government should spend more on healthcare infrastructure than renovation works.

The TCH administration claims that the issue is resolved. “The repairs are complete, and the OTs should start working very soon,” Dr Naqvi adds.

Sadly, the damage is done for the families affected by the incident.

Ahsan Malik is a media veteran interested in politics, consumer rights and entrepreneurship