Roadwork delays disrupt access to Multan’s Nishtar Hospital

LAHORE: Ongoing construction on a 900-metre section of Nishtar Road between the Burn Unit and Nishtar Flyover has severely affected access to Multan’s Nishtar Hospital, creating problems for patients, attendants and medical staff as ambulances and other vehicles get caught in congestion.

The work began three months ago after the Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) started laying sewerage lines on the road. Neither Wasa, the National Highway Authority (NHA) nor the district administration has so far ensured quick completion of the scheme or put in place an effective traffic management arrangement, despite the road serving one of south Punjab’s busiest healthcare facilities.

Nishtar Hospital handles 4,000 to 5,000 outpatients and about 3,000 emergency cases daily. Official figures show the hospital treated 885,124 OPD patients and 748,699 emergency patients in 2025, admitted 833,737 patients and performed 41,187 surgeries during the year. Hospital authorities said around 8,000 to 10,000 people use the road every day. The route also provides access to private hospitals, pharmacies, hostels and nearby residential areas.

Hospital officials describe impact

Nishtar Hospital Medical Superintendent Rao Amjad Ali Khan said patients, visitors and hospital workers had been facing serious difficulty because of the incomplete road. He said delays were affecting emergency access and the environment around the hospital.

"Ambulances remain stuck in traffic, sometimes for hours, and patients are unable to reach the emergency ward on time"

He also said the sound of traffic and vehicle horns, along with dust from excavation, was troubling patients and staff.

"Patients admitted to wards and those visiting OPDs are suffering due to the dust and noise pollution. We urge Wasa and the district administration to take immediate measures to resolve the issue"

A senior doctor at the hospital, who was not named, said the OPD and emergency gate open towards the under-construction stretch. He alleged that problems in the initial sewerage pipeline installation led to the removal of some pipes and repeated digging, which extended the project and increased inconvenience for patients and healthcare personnel.

"The project has consumed three months, but there is no visible urgency on the part of the authorities despite the fact that thousands of patients are visiting the hospital daily"

Officials cite technical and funding issues

Residents of nearby colonies, students living in hostels and pharmacy owners said traffic jams had become routine, with vehicles remaining stuck for long periods while dust and noise had added to daily hardship.

An NHA official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said carpeting of the road would begin after the sewerage work was fully completed. He said the tendering process had been finalised, but funds had not yet been released, which had delayed execution.

Wasa Managing Director Faisal Shoukat, however, said sewerage pipeline installation had been completed a week earlier and described the assignment as technically difficult. He said old sewerage and water supply lines had originally been installed without proper planning, and their removal and replacement had taken extra time. He added that the NHA was now excavating the road to lay a sand and crushed-stone base before carpeting, and said he expected the road to be completed within a month. Asked about funds for the roadwork, he said he did not know whether the money had been released.

Commuters and hospital officials questioned why authorities had not arranged a traffic diversion plan or sped up the work despite the road’s importance as a key access route to a major tertiary-care hospital.